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Henri leaves behind floods, thousands without electricity and canceled flights
New York, Aug 22 (EFE) .- The passage of Storm Henri through the northeastern states of the United States has left thousands of homes without electricity, floods, storm surge, trees on the ground and headaches for many with the cancellation of more than a thousand flights at various airports. Henri, which was projected to be the first hurricane in three decades to make landfall in New England, made up of Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire, weakened overnight Saturday and was downgraded to a storm. Residents of the northeast coast woke up to that good news but also to the warning from authorities not to underestimate the phenomenon, which made landfall in Rhode Island at around 12:15 p.m. local time, with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles. per hour (95 km / h). More than 80,000 homes were without electricity and with streets turned into lakes, incidents that have also been repeated in New York, New Jersey and other areas due to the intense winds. Due to the dangerous conditions, the Rhode Island National Grid power company has said that people should expect a “long-term” recovery. The three bridges that were closed prior to Henri’s arrival due to the wind were reopened but with restrictions for certain vehicles. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Henri is expected to continue to slow down and possibly be detained tonight in the coastal area of the Connecticut-New York border, which could turn already difficult flood problems into potential catastrophe. The storm, which now has maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 km / h) and could degrade a tropical depression, is expected to follow an east-northeast turn over northern Connecticut and southern Connecticut on Monday. Massachusetts, according to the NHC. It is moving slowly west-northwest at 7 miles per hour (11 km / h) and will still slow down for the next few hours. It will also turn north on Monday and then east-northwest. The state of emergency issued for Connecticut and two dozen counties in New York, including the city, remains in effect, according to the Hurricane Center. In Connecticut, approximately 25,000 homes had already lost power. The massive weather system is expected to dump heavy and sustained rain over most of Connecticut and its Hartford city area through tomorrow, Monday. “The path of the storm has meant less wind, but heavy rain and flooding are still the biggest risk we have at this time,” said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. The NHC has also reported that the hurricane watch and tropical storm that had emitted for parts of the tri-state zone has been without effect. The heavy rains that fell since Saturday in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), where a flood warning is in effect, in addition to those of today should keep residents on alert to the rapid worsening of the conditions, according to the NHC. So far, the county with the most rainfall in New York is Brooklyn at 8.6 inches and Central Park at seven inches. Henri forced the cancellation of a mega concert that was held to celebrate the reopening of the city after a year of pandemic. Some train services that travel between New York, out of the city and towards Boston did not circulate today, but the centennial subway of the big apple, which runs through the five boroughs as well as buses, remained in operation. In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy said today that his biggest concern is also flooding, “especially in the central part of the state.” He also said that some 4,500 homes were without power in the early hours of Sunday afternoon. “Henri’s winds were” far below our worst fears, “he said, recalling Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the state in 2012 and also caused severe damage to the New York subway transportation system and left the lower reaches of Manhattan under water. (C) Agencia EFE
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