Irene Is Here, Remain Indoors, Safety Tips

New York, NY - Hurricane Irene has arrived in the New York City area. In addition to the hurricane warning, a tornado warning has been issued for the city until 5am on Sunday. The time for evacuation has ended—remain indoors for the remainder of the storm.

Please adhere to the following home safety tips in order to protect yourself and your family throughout the storm:

• Move as far away as possible from glass windows. There is a risk that flying debris could break and shatter windows in your home. This risk increases if you live in a high-rise building, particularly on the 10th floor or higher.

• Make sure windows and doors leading to the outside are closed.

• Find an interior room in your home with as few windows as possible and remain there.

• Fill your bathtubs and sinks with water that you can later use for washing and for flushing toilets.

• Candles are a fire hazard and can be knocked over easily. Keep an eye on them, and do not leave them unattended.

• Charge your phones and any other mobile devices that you might need.

• If you have a fireplace in your home, close the damper.

• Turn off any propane tanks.

For up-to-date information on the storm, go to www.nyc.gov/oem. If you power goes out, call 311 or text 311692 (311NYC). This will help the city identify areas that are without power. 911 would only be used for emergencies. All non-emergency calls should be directed to 311. You can also contact my office to report problems. Ashley Thompson can be reached at 917-885-3758 or athompson@council.nyc.gov and Rami Metal can be reached at 917-885-3096 or rmetal@council.nyc.gov.