New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Henry approached. Authorities are afraid of heavy rains, gusts of wind and power outages, according to the press service of the governor.
A state of emergency has been declared in some counties, including New York City.
“The storm, which is expected to reach the strength of the hurricane … is projected to hit coastal areas, storm surges and heavy rains, and could lead to massive power outages,” the report said.
Governor Cuomo has trained 500 National Guard personnel to deploy on Long Island and the Hudson Valley to help local authorities prevent and deal with the hurricane as needed. He also sent 11 military trucks and 14 Hummer vehicles.
Cuomo is also asking US President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency that will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to take emergency measures, including providing direct federal assistance to New Yorkers after Hurricane Henry.
“New Yorkers are not used to the damage that a hurricane can do – we felt it during super-hurricane Sandy, and Henry must become a hurricane of the same level,” Cuomo said.
The hurricane is forecast to reach New York as early as Sunday afternoon.
The governor urged residents to take the warning seriously, prepare for possible power outages, stock up on supplies and avoid flooding.