For the second time in 14 months, New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has shut down as the city prepares for a hurricane.
Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall on the East Coast Monday night. Meteorologists are predicting the storm will be “history-making” as residents all along the coast brace for “extratropical” storm conditions, and extremely high winds.
On Sunday morning, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered a mandatory shutdown of all New York City subways, buses, and commuter trains by 7 p.m. that night. The MTA is the largest public transportation provider in the western hemisphere, and serves more than 11 million commuters a day. The Holland Tunnel and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel will also close by 2 p.m. Monday.
The last MTA shutdown was in August 2011 in preparation for Hurricane Irene, which had a lower impact on New York City than originally predicted. Sandy, however, is expected to be much worse.
“Irene was a weakening storm at landfall — and Sandy is expected to reach land with more strength. In fact, the storm could still be growing when it reaches the region,” the Wall Street Journal reports, adding that, with the exception of rainfall, Sandy will surpass Irene in all areas. Public transportation systems and roads all along the East Coast have also been shut down. More photos:
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