New York mayor - too late to flee Sandy
2012-10-29 20:21
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Monster storm Sandy has swept a wall of churning sea water and driving rain onto the eastern US, flooding the heart of downtown New York and leaving at least 13 dead.
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New York - New York mayor Michael Bloomberg warned on Monday that it was becoming "too late" to get away from floods from Hurricane Sandy as winds and sea levels rose.
Bloomberg issued a mandatory evacuation order for 375 000 people in zones at risk of floods but few have left their homes in the mainly sea-front districts.
"Conditions are deteriorating very rapidly and the window for getting out safely is closing," Bloomberg told a press conference. "It's getting too late to leave," he added.
Bloomberg said there were 16 000 beds in emergency shelters set up in 76 schools across New York but only 3 000 people and 73 pets had spent Sunday night there.
The mayor said there could be a storm surge of 3.3-3.6m in southern Manhattan late on Monday. The evening high tide could bring waves of 4.5-6.0m.
All public transport has been suspended in New York because of the major storm, some major roads in Manhattan had already been closed and two of the three Manhattan island road tunnels were to close at 18:00 GMT.
