NY mayor orders evacuations ahead of storm's arrival

on 28/10/2012 16:32:39

New York City is closing schools and ordering some residents in low-lying areas to leave ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the 1.1 million-student New York City school system will be closed tomorrow. The closing follows the suspension of the city's transit system.

He also ordered the evacuation of part of lower Manhattan and the Rockaways, a low-lying area of Queens.

Rainfall is expected to start late today or early tomorrow in New York.

Airlines have cancelled more than 3,000 flights as a result of Hurricane Sandy, with hubs along the East Coast bearing the brunt of the disruptions.