Tropical Storm Jose has been meandering around the Atlantic and the New York area is already experiencing rough surf from the system. As you can see from the graphic, the “cone of uncertainty” encompasses our region on Rosh Hashanah. Jose could both strengthen and weaken by then and affect portions of the east coast of the United States from North Carolina northward to New England. It is too soon to determine what or where. NYCEM will continue to monitor the status and progress of TS Jose and you should pay close attention to weather forecasts over the coming days.
What should you do until then?
- Plan. September is National Preparedness Month, so you should have an emergency plan covering four basic areas: How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings? What is my shelter plan? What is my evacuation route? What is my family/household communication plan?
- Click to these links for apps (Apple, Android) to help you make your plan.
- Check out the New York City Emergency Management pocket guides outlining the very basic steps all New Yorkers should take to prepare for an emergency available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Bengali, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Urdu, Yiddish
- Know your zone. New York City refined its Evacuation Zones after Sandy. Take a look at the NYC Hurricane Zone Finder and for Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester.
- Get notified. Sign up for emergency alerts from NYC, Nassau, Suffolk and/or Westchester (temporarily unavailable).
- Stock up. As we know from Texas and Florida, storms bring power outages and limited mobility. Build or restock your emergency preparedness kit. Include food and water sufficient for at least three days, medications, a flashlight, batteries, cash, and first aid supplies.
- Halacha. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. The Rabbinical Council of America distributed this document, dealing with questions arising from severe weather on Shabbat and Yom Tov.