Hurricane Sandy moves in: New York City braces for storm with mandatory evacuations as Gov. Cuomo orders MTA to suspend subway, bus, rail service

City and state officials braced Sunday for a brutal beating by Hurricane Sandy, ordering all public transportation to shut down, city schools to shutter and all residents living low-lying neighborhoods to evacuate for higher ground.
Gov. Cuomo ordered the MTA to suspend all subway, bus and commuter rail service beginning Sunday evening and urged people to stay at home.


Also Sunday morning, Mayor Bloomberg ordered all residents of flood-prone areas — also known as Zone A — to evacuate their homes by Sunday afternoon, adding that all public schools would close Monday.




 Subway and train service will come to a grinding halt by 7 p.m., Cuomo said, while bus service will begin its shutdown at 9 p.m.

It is unclear how long mass transit will remain out of service, the governor said.


"This is nothing to play with," said Cuomo, referring to the killer ’cane that is set to make landfall in south Jersey Tuesday morning. "This is nothing to take lightly.

"You want to stay at home, be prepared, enjoy the family, read a book," Cuomo said.

The violent squall — already being dubbed “Frankenstorm” because it will combine with a storm system from the west and cold air from Canada — is expected to wreak havoc on the New York region.

Amtrak announced Saturday that it would halt train service to parts of the East Coast, including trips between Washington and New York. Airlines have started adding Sunday flights out of New York in preparation for flight cancellations on Monday.

Meanwhile, Nassau and Suffolk county officials have urged residents of low-lying areas to evacuate. Officials have ordered a mandatory exodus from Fire Island.




Officials are also activating 1,100 National Guard members, 400 on Long Island and 200 in the city.

The state Department of Health is ordering that all adult nursing homes be staffed at 150 percent of standard levels and that staff is prepared to stay for 48 to 72 hours, the governor said.

Utility companies across the state will also be on standby to help with power outages.

"In a situation like this you prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Cuomo said.