New York – Residents on the United States East Coast have been urged to prepare for one of the most powerful storms in years.
Tropical Storm Henri, which is expected to hit New York’s Long Island and southern parts of New England on Sunday, has weakened from a hurricane.
But officials say the threats to the region remain high.
A state of emergency has been declared in parts of New York state as winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) and as much as six inches (15 cm) of rain are expected.
On Saturday – when the storm was initially upgraded to a hurricane – Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN that “even if it doesn’t make landfall as a hurricane, the tropical force winds and the storm surge can cause significant damage”.
“We’re going to see power outages, we’re going to see downed trees, and even after the storm has passed, the threat of falling trees and limbs is still out there,” she added.
On Saturday evening, a concert taking place in New York City’s Central Park was abruptly stopped “due to approaching severe weather”, police said.
About 60 000 people were thought to be attending the “homecoming” concert – a celebration of the city’s return to hosting large events following the restrictions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The line-up of artists included Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Paul Simon and also Barry Manilow – whose performance was cut short as concert-goers were told to make their way to the nearest exits. (BBC)
