Mayor Bloomberg gave his third and final press conference of the day about Hurricane Irene's approach to NYC, "Conditons are expected to deteriorate rapidly," and emphasizes, "The time for evacuation is over... [Now] Everyone should stay inside." more ›

Sure, Mayor Bloomberg says the city's Hurricane Irene mandatory evacuation order is serious and that residents who live in the low-lying areas must get out now. But there are a few residents who think he's insane for forcing them to leave. NBC New York's Andrew Siff visited one couple in Far Rockaways, who said, "There is no way in hell we're moving out of our home!" more ›

Are you a Zone A or Far Rockaways resident who needs to leave? You won't have to pay fares or tolls! Evacuating is so awesome! more ›

So you live in a Zone A area and have been told to evacuate—what to do about your pets? Take them with you! Because of the evacuation (and the imminent shut down of the MTA) you are allowed to bring Fido and Mittens for a ride on the subway. But before you pack up your four-legged friends (and other pets) there are few things you might want to do... more ›

Were you thinking of heading out to Fire Island to brave Irene? Just stop that. At 3 p.m. today Suffolk County is expected to call for a mandatory evacuation of Fire Island [Reg. Req'd]. In addition those Nassau county residents on barrier islands or in storm-surge areas south of Sunrise Highway and north of Route 25A are being asked to leave as well. But voluntarily (for now). more ›

A black suitcase found in a business class lounge at JFK Airport prompted the Port Authority to bring in the bomb squad and canine units—and even evacuate part of Terminal 8, resulting in a 2.5 hour shut down, this morning. And, according to WCBS 2, it seems that the suitcase may have simply been forgotten there. more ›

New York City, Long Island, and southern Westchester County are under a tropical storm watch, which means we could see 39- to 73 mile per hour winds, as Hurricane Earl heads closer to the U.S.. Winds of 100 mph are expected to hit the Outer Banks in North Carolina tonight, and then Earl will continue north. Hurricane warnings was issued for Massachusetts and Connecticut was issued a tropical storm warning. more ›

Talk about timing: JFK Airport's Terminal 1 was evacuated for two hours when an anonymous caller said there was a bomb at the facility—just as airport security found an unattended bag. Port Authority spokesman John Kelly "said 250 to 300 passengers were evacuated from Terminal 1 at the airport around 6 p.m. and were allowed back in after 8 p.m.," according to the AP. more ›

Last night, the NYPD and FDNY responded to a call about a "suspicious vehicle" parked outside the Con Edison building on Irving Place between 14th and 15th Streets, a block east of Union Square. The 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera had some gas containers in the back seat. After closing down some streets, partially evacuating a building and having the bomb squad inspect the car, it was determined that the vehicle was not a threat. Oh, and talking to the car's owner helped, too. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] After a suspicious package shut down a block of Eighth Avenue by 44th Street earlier today, another suspicious package has prompted an evacuation of Times Square (remember the last evacuation?). We turn once again to the Office of Emergency Management Twitter page, which states: "Due to police activity in the vicinity of 46th Street and Broadway(MN) expect street closures in the Times Square area." Honestly this is getting kind of repetitive, but it's worth noting if only for this great shot of an empty Times Square. (Crank up the Kid A and enjoy.) We'll update when we've got more details or heroes. more ›

Photos via Rich_Rare and ShallowSeas Twitters more ›

We've received multiple reports that the Port Authority Bus Terminal is currently "on lock down" because of a suspicious package. A reader tells us there are "cops with M4s, and people being evacuated." Another reports "limited access from the subway level." We'll keep you posted as the situation develops. Update: The emergency response team is "already out of the area," according to one witness. more ›

A tipster from 119 West 23rd Street just wrote in saying the building was evacuated earlier this afternoon for over in hour in what was originally thought to be a gas leak. She writes: "So all us employees at Tekserve (and the offices above) were just evacuated for about an hour after a stinky rotten egg smell permeated the building. Thought it might be a gas leak, but it turns out that someone at the salon on one of the upper floors poured some heavy-duty professional-grade drain cleaner in the pipes. Incorrectly." Woops. The fumes aren't dangerous, but Sarah Lewitinn (aka Ultragrrrl) was also in the building at the time and panic-Twittered about some of the side effects: "My lips feel numb and weird as do my legs. Lightheaded. Not cool. TELL PPL THERE'S A GASLEAK!" UPDATE: Lewitinn says several people in the building are sick, and worries that it may have been something harmful leaking. And given that Con Ed might be involved, she may have reason to be! more ›

The alert about a "suspicious package" at JFK Airport said there were hand grenades in a piece of luggage. The JetBlue terminal was evacuated, only for the grenades to turn out to be World War II grenade replica paperweights. Next time, mail them! JetBlue is having an opening ceremony for its new Terminal 5 today. And yesterday, a Newark Airport terminal was evacuated after many "false positives" on a suspicious bag, which was eventually deemed safe. more ›

A week after the illegally converted-for-residential use warehouse 475 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg was evacuated by city agencies, due to building violations including an illegal matzoh bakery (and combustible grains being stored in the basement), the building will be padlocked this afternoon at 4PM. There will be a "solemn observance of the shutting of a great arts community," according to a press release we received. More details:

Come and show your support for the 200+ displaced tenants of 475 and the live/work community as a whole. more ›

New York City officials are planning for a Dunkirk-like evacuation of Manhattan island in the case of an emergency. In the early days of World War II, a "bathtub navy" was assembled between Dunkirk, France and Dover, England, in order to move hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Continent to safer ground as the Nazis advanced across France. Hundreds of small craft were sent across the English Channel to ferry stranded and cornered British troops back to England. more ›

Over 150 residents of an eleven-story building at Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg were evacuated yesterday after the Fire Department and Buildings Department found a number of violations. The building had been illegally converted to residences and a matzoh factory, complete with two silos of (highly combustible) grain in the basement. A neighboring building was cited as well, and the violations ranged from non-working standpipes (which firefighters use to deliver water to fires), illegal partitions, blocked exits, inoperable sprinkler systems and others, including the illegal grain silos for the unauthorized basement bakery. more ›

At least a few buildings on or near Mercer Street lost power when a fire or an explosion occurred in a manhole at Mercer and West 3rd Street exploded this morning. The block was closed off by the Fire Department. We hear there were no injuries, but it's unclear what caused the fire. One witness saw a billowing black smoke and said it smelled "acrid, like maybe it's an electrical fire." And contributor Gideon... more ›