Subway, bus and railroad service will cease at 7 p.m. tonight ahead of Hurricane Sandy, officials announced today.
Buses will shut down at 9 p.m.
Just minutes ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg also ordered the mandatory evacuation of Zone A and ordered schools closed tomorrow.
New Yorkers can call 311 or visit nyc.gov to find out their zone or get help for evacuating.
“If you live in these areas, you should leave them this afternoon,” he said. “This is a serious and dangerous storm.”
The mayor said he will not yet evacuate hospitals in Zone A.
Bloomberg said that the estimated magnitude of the surge had changed, and it could be six to 11 feet.
Gale-force winds will begin late this afternoon and grow overnight, he said.
The worst of the storm, and the surge, will be Monday night, he said.
“I don’t want anybody to go to bed tonight thinking that they can spend tomorrow worrying about the night after,” Bloomberg said. “We’ve got to take some preparations today.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo also said New Yorkers should not feel the need to be running around the city during the storm, which is expected to bring high winds and torrential rain.
MTA chairman Joseph Lhota said subway service will be back up about 12 hours after the storm ends, but he told New Yorkers to be prepared to not count on the train for as many as two days.
Metro will keep updating throughout the day.
