Long Islanders brace for Hurricane Henri, possible flooding, power losses

Long Island stands in the crosshairs of a hurricane that could potentially wreak havoc with flooding, power losses, downed trees and all the misery that comes with that.

Hurricane Henri, packing hard rains and winds of 75 mph or more, was projected to begin hitting Saturday night and make landfall Sunday afternoon on Long Island or in southern New England. The Category 1 storm, which trended east slightly as of 7:50 p.m. Saturday, is expected to bring several inches of rain across the Northeast, and some areas may see storm surges of up to 5 feet, forecasters said.

The hurricane would be the first of its kind to directly strike Long Island since Hurricane Gloria in 1985.

PSEG Long Island has almost doubled its estimate of how long some residents may be without power, saying outages now could last up to two weeks.

Much depends on how fast the storm moves and where it lands, experts say. The National Hurricane Center said various computer models do not agree on the storm's track, but the models generally focused on central Long Island and Rhode Island.

"The animation loop shows a little bit of an eastward slide in the track ... which is good for Long Island; the farther east the storm goes, the less will be the impact here," said meteorologist Bill Korbel on Saturday evening.

Yet one model noted the storm had increasingly veered west to an expected landfall on Suffolk's South Shore.

As of 11 p.m. Saturday, Hurricane Henri was about 189 miles south southeast of Montauk Point as it tracked north, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The timeline of impact looks to be Sunday morning through Sunday evening, with the storm weakening as it moves northward, said the weather service.

By nightfall Sunday, conditions may have improved to a less-intense tropical storm, which means the winds will have fallen below 74 mph, the weather service said.

Henri could bring sustained, hurricane-force winds of 75 mph, with gusts reaching 90 to 100 mph over eastern Long Island and southeastern Connecticut, the weather service warned.

The storm is expected to bring 3 to 6 inches of rain on Long Island, New England, southeastern New York, and Northern New Jersey on Sunday. It will last into Monday, with some areas receiving 10 inches of rain, the hurricane center said.

LIers get ready

The prospect of such a powerful storm heading straight at Long Island, with little advance warning, set Islanders and officials on an emergency footing. People scrambled to stock up supplies, pull in their outdoor furniture, hoist boats out of the water and move to higher ground.

State and local emergency management officials, hospitals and power companies ramped up operations, implementing emergency plans and bringing in extra staff and equipment.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued an emergency declaration for Long Island, New York City, Westchester, the Hudson Valley and the capital region.

"It is as serious as a heart attack," Cuomo said during an afternoon briefing Saturday. "Remember Superstorm Sandy — and I'm sure we all do — but this is right now projected to be that level of a storm."

It remains unclear whether Henri, even with a direct hit, would cause the same level of damage as Sandy. That storm, experts say, was so destructive because it moved so slowly and merged with a nor'easter. Sandy struck Long Island under a full moon — as Henri is forecast to do — which could increase storm-driven tides.

In New York City and southwestern Connecticut, gusts could reach 70 to 80 mph, with sustained winds of 50 to 60 mph.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone urged those on Fire Island to head to the mainland. The Fire Island National Seashore said it was closing all campground concessions, marinas and back country camping Saturday.

"It is important for residents and visitors to understand that if they do not leave the island today, they will be stuck on the island and we do not know what kind of conditions they will be facing. But, they could be difficult, they could be dangerous," Bellone said.

Suffolk shut campgrounds at dusk, Bellone said, warning of widespread power outages.

Swimming has been halted at Babylon's Robert Moses and Montauk's Hither Hills State Park.

Bellone said the county, working with the American Red Cross, was establishing shelters Saturday night in the following locations: East Hampton High School, Sachem East High School, Brentwood High School, Riverhead High School and Hampton Bays Middle School.

A pet shelter will open 4 p.m. Sunday at the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Yaphank, Bellone said.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc declared a state of emergency, as officials expect dangerous winds, rain and storm surges. People in low-lying areas were advised to move to higher ground, he said.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for Long Island’s South Shore, from Fire Island Inlet to Montauk, and on the North Shore, from Port Jefferson Harbor to points east.

"The main threats from Henri are potentially life-threatening storm surge, heavy rain capable of producing flash flooding, tropical storm or hurricane-force winds along the South Shore and Long Island and across southern Connecticut," the weather service said.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran warned of flooding and power outages.

"We will continue to closely monitor the situation, but residents should start preparing for power outages and coastal flooding. Our crews will be working around the clock," Curran tweeted.

Cuomo, for his part, vowed not to be distracted by his resignation on Tuesday, or the ongoing transition to the incoming administration of Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Cuomo said he had spoken with President Joe Biden, who is prepared to declare a pre-landfall emergency disaster, so local governments will be reimbursed for expenses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency already is sending its teams in, the governor said.

The National Guard is deploying 500 troops and the State Police are sending 1,000 workers to areas expected to bear the storm's brunt.

Hospitals ramp up, utility braces

Elsewhere, Long Island hospitals ramped up preparations for the storm, putting in place hazardous-weather plans, checking on homebound patients and preparing to increase staff where necessary.

PSEG said it had secured some 3,300 line workers, tree trimmers and others to help turn the lights back on. That is nearly three times the number of workers it had ready on Friday.

On Friday, Curran criticized the utility's prediction of seven- to 10-day outages. Saturday morning she called those initial estimates "unacceptable," and urged PSEG Long Island to call in more workers.

The Port Authority anticipates canceling flights, Cuomo said, adding the MTA likely will cancel rail service east of Ronkonkoma.

All of Amtrak's Northeast corridor service, including the Northeast Regional and Acela, was canceled Sunday between New York and Boston due to severe weather impacts.

Amtrak service between Washington, D.C., and New York is not affected.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency. He warned New Yorkers to take the storm seriously and "stay in to the maximum extent possible."

Storm surge warnings were issued for Long Island’s South and North Shores.

"Dangerous marine conditions are likely on the ocean waters south of Long Island, as well as on Long Island Sound, and the South Shore of Long Island, Southern Connecticut and the Western Sound," said the weather service.

Long Island state parks in a statement said it barred all swimming at its ocean beaches. The weather service warned "dangerous" rip currents are building and could last through the weekend.

A Town of Islip spokeswoman said by text: "We’re in good shape. All equipment is ready. We’re advising residents to check on their boats, remove any objects from decks, yards, patios that could become projectiles in high winds."

The U.S. Coast Guard has set Port Condition X-ray, which means ports are open to all traffic but hurricane conditions are expected within 48 hours.

In Westhampton Beach, there were few visible signs of worry Saturday ahead of the storm. Several gas stations from Riverhead toward the South Fork had a moderate amount of cars stopping for gas around 11:30 a.m.

At the Valero gas station on Old Riverhead Road in Westhampton Beach, cars had appeared to be lining up, four car lengths deep, around noon.

At Harbor Freight Tools in Huntington Station, signs dotted the front doors saying "No Generators" while shoppers collected items like gas cans and extension cords.

"It’s coming this way," said Tom Giordano, 68, of Huntington Station. "I went into the hardware store and they were sold out of generators and had one gas can left."

He said he has one generator gassed up, hoping he doesn’t lose power, as he did during Superstorm Sandy, for eight days.

Giordano, who has lived on Long Island his entire life, said he has braved multiple storms, including Sandy. During Hurricane Gloria his truck was blown across the road. But he didn’t expect Henri to be as bad.

"It’s not going to be Sandy. That was different, it was a superstorm," he said. "We lose power around here from all the trees and the power lines. It’s not going to be as bad as Gloria."

Once storms make landfall, they tend to weaken, and that factor, combined with the cooler Atlantic off New England, should cause the storm to dissipate in three to four days, the National Hurricane Center said.

Rainfall rates could reach half an inch an hour, adding up to 3 to 6 inches — with more in spots — from Saturday night to Sunday night, the weather service said.

By Monday on Long Island, the chances of showers and storms are 50%; they decline to 30% on Tuesday, the weather service said.

Temperatures from Monday to Friday should hover around the low 80s during the days and the low 70s at night, the weather service predicted.

Wednesday and Thursday should be sunny, before possible rain on Friday, when the odds again are 30%.