New York road tunnels to close because of hurricane threat

(UPDATED) NEW YORK – New York state authorities on Monday, October 29 ordered the closure of two of three key Manhattan road tunnels because of the risk of floods from Hurricane Sandy.

Governor Andrew Cuomo also said an extra 1,000 national guard had been called up to patrol danger zones.

Cuomo said the Holland and Brooklyn-Battery tunnels would close from 2:00 pm (1800 GMT). He told a press conference the predicted flood levels from the looming hurricane were “really extraordinary.”

New York subway and commuter trains and buses have already shut down because of the storm ahead of the peak impact late Monday.

Cumomo said Manhattan bridges would close if wind speeds hit 60 miles (100 kilometers) an hour and weather forecasts had predicted gusts of 90 miles (145 kilometers) per hour.

Experts have also predicted a storm surge of up to 11 feet (3.5 meters) when the hurricane hits late Monday.

“These forecasts for the surge are really extraordinary,” the governor commented.

Cuomo said the state had decided to call up an extra 1,000 national guard troops on top of 1,100 mobilized on Sunday. He said rescue boats and military boats and had also been put on alert. – Agence France-Presse