NYC on storm alert, expects only side effects

New York City officials say they are on alert ahead of the coming tropical storm, but they only expect to see side effects as the main activity stays out over open water.

Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno said Thursday the city could see rain and high winds, along with possible soil erosion on the beaches and flooding along the oceanside coasts of Brooklyn and Queens.

Emergency officials are in contact with nursing homes and hospitals in the seaside zones from Coney Island to the Rockaways.

The city has also been working to clear basins that typically flood.

The Red Cross is also standing by if evacuation shelters are needed.

Bruno says officials don’t believe much of its preparations will be necessary. But he says the city has to prepare for the worst case scenario.