A reader just sent us a photograph from inside one of the shelters the city set up for NYC residents in Zone A areas. There are "City Of New York" cots and "City of New York" blankets. Our reader lives along the Rockaways' shoreline, making him one of the hundreds of thousands of city residents ordered to leave their homes by 5 p.m. tomorrow.
The city has opened 91 shelters—Mayor Bloomberg was visiting one in Long Island City today. Bloomberg has been trying to emphasize that this is an extremely serious situation. His official mayoral Twitter account stated, "Evacuating NYers: Don’t wait until gale force winds to leave. It will be too late. You must start your preparations to leave now," and during his afternoon press conference, Bloomberg said, "Because of the danger of falling limbs or trees and blowing glass and furniture and who knows what PLEASE stay out of the parks on Sunday and if you can possibly do it stay inside on Sunday. It would be great if we can wake up Monday morning and say there were no tragedies. Unfortunately with a storm this big the likelihood of such a thing is great," adding, "We can joke about this on Monday morning. But until then this is a matter of life and death."
