Crooner Barry Manilow was within the middle of his performance at the “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” in Grand Central Park when fans were abruptly told to evacuate after lightning was seen nearby.
The ny local department also tweeted instructions for fans to hunt shelter.
“Due to approaching severe weather, all those attending the event are to calmly move to the closest exits and proceed to areas outside of the park,” police said during a tweet.
“This isn’t an emergency.
” Meanwhile, in Suffolk County, residents and tourists were asked to voluntarily evacuate from Fire Island before the hurricane made landfall.
Henri strengthened to a hurricane Saturday because it continued to go toward Long Island and southern New England , weather forecasters said.
The storm was about 255 miles south of Montauk Point, Long Island, on Saturday night after ny Gov.
Andrew Cuomo had already declared a state of emergency in preparation for the hurricane’s arrival.
He said at a press conference that water rescue teams were being prepared for Long Island , the Hudson Valley and Westchester.
He was also deploying 500 National Guard troops, and state police will have about 1,000 personnel on duty in areas suffering from Henri.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was scheduled to cancel service in Long Island beginning about midnight, the governor said.
He compared Henri to 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, the consequences of which are still being felt within the ny City area.
“Superstorm Sandy, which we all remember, was also a Category 1 when it hit ny state,” Cuomo said.
“So, just to place it in perspective how serious this is often and the way dangerous it’s .
”
