As Hurricane Sandy bears down on Westchester and New York City, many municipalities are declaring state of emergencies, evacuations or simply closing offices.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to close New York City bridges at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29. With storm gusts expected to be up to 80-85 mph, the bridges in the NYC area are quickly becoming unsafe. However, emergency vehicles and personnel are exempted from traffic restrictions to the degree practical. The following bridges will be closed:
- Throgs Neck Bridge
- Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
- Henry Hudson Bridge
- Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge
- Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
- George Washington Bridge
In Westchester, low-lying residents in Peekskill were ordered to evacuate, along with residents in Sound Shore communities like Port Chester, Rye and Larchmont.
Mount Pleasant, Bronxville, Cortlandt, Harrison, Irvington, Lewisboro, and Mamaroneck  declared states of emergency.
New York City schools were closed Monday and will also be closed Tuesday, Oct. 30. The town of Yorktown has banned all non-essential road travel.
Gov. Cuomo also announced that the Holland and Hugh Carey (formerly the Brooklyn Battery) tunnels would be closed effective at 2 p.m. Monday.
Many municipalities have closed offices, delayed garbage pickup and closed courts. Gov. Cuomo has urged citizens to use common sense, stay off the roads, and only use 911 in an emergency.
Editor’s note: Updated 5:40 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29.
