The 1 Joint: New york FLOODED!!

New York flooding hits Irene levels as monstrous storm yet to make landfall

Published: 29 October, 2012, 21:02

People walk through a flooded street as Hurricane Sandy moves closer to the area on October 29, 2012 in the Red Hook section of the Brooklyn borough of New York City (AFP Photo / Spencer Platt)

Parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan have found themselves underwater as hurricane Sandy approaches New York. Flood water is already at the level of last year's Tropical Storm Irene, and the is city under a coastal flood warning.

Waterways in the New York metropolitan area are rising, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a press conference organized due to Hurricane Sandy. The coastal flood warning is in place from 3 pm to 6 am local time.

Manhattan's Lower East Side and East Village districts can expect a 9-10 foot water surge at the climax of high tide on Monday night, Bloomberg warned.

Meanwhile, the surge has already hit the levels seen during Tropical Storm Irene, which hit New York last August. Pictures of flooding in the Red Hook district of Brooklyn, FDR Drive on the east side of Manhattan, and Battery Park, at the very bottom of the island, are already circulating online.

Reports say the hurricane has strengthened and developed an eye. Sustained winds have reached 90 mph.

Utility workers inspect gas lines on City Island October 29, 2012 in New York (AFP Photo / Don Emmert)

More than 375,000 people were ordered to evacuate from the city's low-lying areas. Mayor Bloomberg urged those remaining in flood zone A, to leave immediately, because “conditions are deteriorating” rapidly.

Some 3,100 evacuees are now at 76 shelters across the city, filling only about four per cent of their total capacity.

Gotham has shut down all subway, bus and train services. The city's Staten Island and East River Ferry services have been suspended.

However, Bloomberg said, buses taking people out of zone A to shelters are still running.

PATH, the train service connecting New Jersey and New York, has also been suspended until further notice.

The major tunnels in and out of the city – the Brooklyn-Battery and Holland – are also to be closed at 2 pm local time due to threats of flooding.

The city government remains open, Bloomberg stressed, taking calls about downed trees, highway flooding and other such cases.

Earlier, President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in the state of New York. He urged citizens to take the storm “seriously” and follow local authorities' safety instructions.

People walk past sandbags on a flooded street as Hurricane Sandy moves closer to the area on October 29, 2012 in the Red Hook section of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (AFP Photo / Spencer Platt)