Images of New York as Tropical Storm Henri approaches and mayor urges everyone to 'stay home'
- Images of Hurricane Henri show New York being battered by extreme weather.
- New Yorkers are being urged to stay home and "prepare for the worst."
- Governor Cuomo warns Henri could be as devastating as Super Storm Sandy.
The Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, is urging New Yorkers to stay home amid the wrath of Tropical Storm Henri, Reuters report.
Authorities state that Henri is expected to bring winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) and as much as six inches of rain along the northeast coast.
Appearing on CNN, the Mayor said "I want people off the streets, staying home, staying safe, heavy winds, heavy rain in New York City. It's going to be a lot worse in some other places like eastern Long Island."
The National Hurricane Service reports that has seen sustained winds of 47mph (76km/h) and gusts reaching 59 mph (95 km.h)
The We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert - meant to be a celebration of a return to (somewhat) normality post-Covid, had to be halted midway through due to the weather.
Mayor de Blasio took to the stage to issue an urgent weather warning.
As the night wore on, however, fun at a concert quickly changed to a scary reality of flooding, toppling trees, and power outages across the state of New York.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose last day in office is Monday, August 23 after a sexual harassment scandal, told New Yorkers to make last-minute preparations to battle the storm.
People are stocking up on food, moving to higher ground, and securing their properties, local news service WWLP - based in Massachusetts, where Henri is also htiting - reports.
Cuomo warned that Henri could be as devastating as Super Storm Sandy, which killed 285 people and inflicted $70 billion in damage in 2012.
"New Yorkers are no strangers to the damage that is possible after dealing with a hurricane - we experienced it with Superstorm Sandy and Henri is set to be that level of storm," Governor Cuomo said in a statement before Henri was downgraded back to a tropical storm.
"We were given less notice to prepare for Henri because of shifting models, and while there is still time for the storm to shift again, I encourage New Yorkers to take this seriously. Plan for power outages, stock up on necessary supplies and avoid flooding areas. The state is deploying resources and we will do everything we can to ensure damage is minimal and the people of this state stay safe."
Tropical storm Henri is predicted to make landfall at midday Sunday.
New York State Management have Tweeted their advice - telling those who can do so to stay home.
Officials in the state of New York have issued a mandatory evacuation order to those who live close to the water in Madison, Connecticut, with winds near the coasts expected to exceed 50mph (80kph).
People on Fire Island in Long Island have been urged to leave, while residents in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York have been warned to prepare for power outages that could last for days.