NEW YORK: New York state governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday warned a new storm heading towards his state and neighboring New Jersey, both still recovering from superstorm Sandy, could lead to new coastal evacuations.
“We will have a potential storm on Wednesday,” Cuomo told a press conference.
“Normally, it would not be a life-threatening storm. But this is not a normal situation,” he said. “In this situation, this is serious. If we have to evacuate, we begin it early, and people — take it seriously.”
Cuomo warned that the vast amount of debris still on the ground in the storm zone could be tossed into the air at dangerous speeds if a storm strikes.
Soil in the area also remains saturated, leading to the fear of more flooding.
According to the US National Weather Service, a low pressure area off the southeastern US coast is forecast to strengthen as it moves north along the coast of North and South Carolina on Wednesday.
The storm “will continue to strengthen into Thursday as it moves off the New Jersey coast.
Potential impacts include wind gusts up to 50 mph, minor to moderate coastal flooding, heavy rain along coastal areas and wet snow across interior sections,” the NWS said.
The governor noted the difference between Manhattan, where power has been almost fully restored, and other New York neighborhoods in Queens or Staten Island, where tens of thousands of customers remain without power. (AFP)
