Storm Henri news – Biden gives update on response after system makes landfall over Rhode Island
Tropical storm Henri - downgraded from a hurricane this morning - has made landfall near the town of Westerly, Rhode Island, on the border with Connecticut.
Coastal residents in New England have boarded up their windows, stocked up on supplies, and prepared their generators, local media report. The storm is expected to track to the northwest as it moves inland with more heavy rain and flooding expected.
New York City remains under a state of emergency, announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio last night, as residents were lashed with torrential downpours that broke records.
President Joe Biden provided an update on the federal government’s response on Sunday afternoon, having already approved declarations of emergency for New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
More than 50 million people were put on weather alerts by authorities, according to CNN — more than 12 million under a storm surge warning, 5 million under a hurricane warning, and 37 million under a tropical storm warning.
Winds peaking in eastern Long Island
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone tweets that the worst of the winds should be hitting the eastern end of Long Island around noon.
‘Not that it matters'
Mr Karins also points out that it’ll be difficult to call whether landfall happens in Connecticut or Rhode Island as the storm tracks towards the border between the two states.
New York State Police ready to respond
New York State Police tweeted that they are ready for any eventuality as Henri moves towards land and the threat of flooding increases.
“We’re ready to respond to Henri. Our swiftwater rescue teams will be staged where needed. We have additional Troopers we can send to areas where they are needed most. Airboats, ATVs, UTVs are in-service and ready to go. Stay safe.”
Power outage update
Power outages are spreading across New England with numbers climbing in several states.
Rhode Island has 75,000 customers without power; there are 20,000 in Connecticut; and 6,800 in Massachusetts.
Henri makes landfall
Tropical Storm Henri made landfall near the town of Westerly, Rhode Island close to the state line with Connecticut at 12.15pm.
Windspeeds of 70mph have been recorded.
‘The age of extreme weather is here’
“The age of extreme weather is here,” says New York City Councilmember Mark Levine.
He notes that between 10pm and 11pm on Saturday night 1.94 inches of rain fell in Central Park, the most ever recorded in a single hour at the weather station which has been in operation since 1869.
A month’s worth of rain fell in a single night.
Westerly, Rhode Island
The beachfront community of Westerly, Rhode Island was first settled by English colonists in 1661. It now has a population of just over 23,000.
Tropical storms and hurricanes have devastated the town in 1938, 1944, and 1954. In 2012 Hurricane Sandy also devastated the town’s beaches.
Popstar Taylor Swift owns a home in the nearby village of Watch Hill.
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