This OES-16 East GeoColor satellite image taken Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, at 11:40 a.m. EDT., and provided by NOAA, shows Tropical Storm Henri in the Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA via AP)
Storm Henri has strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane during its march toward the Northeastern U.S. According to reports, the storm was around 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina as of Saturday.
The storm is expected to hit New York or southeastern New England by Sunday. Almost six million people have been under hurricane warnings across New England with another 35 million under tropical storm warnings.
Residents discussed the damaged caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and have been wary of a repeat scenario.
“I think everyone is thinking of Sandy, um, if you saw what happened to the boardwalk back then and the businesses along the road and the beach,” New York resident Mike Folan expressed. “You know, there’s a high water mark that’s this high on the ground floor my building, so it’s hard not to think about it.”
#Henri has strengthened to a hurricane and is headed for Long Island and southern New England. Hurricane and Tropical Storm Warnings have been extended eastward. Here are the 11 am EDT Key Messages. See https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB for details. pic.twitter.com/lRb61AnHaj
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 21, 2021
Massachusetts residents were urged to stay indoors as Henri has been approaching the state. On Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker (R-Mass.) gave an update on the state’s preparations for the recently declared hurricane.
“It looks like this storm is going to have a big impact on the commonwealth and we would urge everybody to do everything they can to stay home on Sunday,” Baker explained. “Be mindful of the fact that the high winds and the rain that come with the storm will in fact create issues across the commonwealth and everybody needs to be vigilant and careful about how they handle the back part of this weekend.”
Baker went on to say preparations are being made for the Camp Edwards military training facility to host utility workers so they can act quickly in restoring power after the storm.
Henri currently has sustained winds of around 75 miles-per-hour. FEMA urged residents to take the storm seriously by saying even if it doesn’t make landfall, heavy winds and storm surges can cause “significant damage.”
Source: One America News Network
