Hurricane: Schools Closed Monday

Update: Sunday 11:30 am

Mayor Bloomberg has announced that all NYC Public Schools will be closed on Monday.

Crown Heights school closures:
Bais Rivkah, all grades closed Monday

Oholei Torah, Kindergarten, Elementary – Grades pre-1A thru grades 8 – Closed Monday
Tuesday schedule will be posted as soon as known, or parents can call the school at 718-778-3340
Mesivta, Beis Medrash – as of 3:00 pm – Open Monday

Lubavitch Yeshiva, Preschool – no school
Grades 1- 8 – call in the morning to find out if closed 718 774-4131

Bnos Menachem, Parents should check email/voicemail Monday morning to find out if closed

Darchei Menachem, closed

The Safety Kid program scheduled for tomorrow Monday at Beth Rivkah is cancelled due to the Hurricane.
ALL PARENTS WHO CARE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THEIR CHILDREN SHOULD BE AT THE OHOLEI TORAH SAFETY KID PROGRAM
TONIGHT SUNDAY AT 8 PM

Update: Sunday, 10:50 am

Governor Cuomo Directs MTA to Move Forward with System-wide Shutdown
The MTA has been directed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to begin an orderly shutdown and suspension of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service at 7 p.m. Sunday. The decision was made to protect customers, employees and equipment from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy as the strong storm continues its march up the east coast.

MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota announced that service on NYC Transit subways will be curtailed beginning at 7 p.m., and the bus network within the following two hours. Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad will start their finals trains by 7 p.m. from terminal locations. Subway and rail road stations will be closed after the last trains pass through stations. Outbound Access-A-Ride trips are being scheduled only until 12 p.m. today, and return trips will continue until 5 p.m. Any previously scheduled trips after that time, including subscription trips, are canceled.

Customers are advised to adjust their plans and travel early in the day as possible and not wait until the last train or bus. Anyone who does not leave for their destination before 7 p.m. runs the risk of being stranded when service is suspended.

The MTA has been preparing to suspend service for days by readying recovery equipment, clearing drainage areas, moving vehicles from low-lying areas at bus depots and rail yards and sealing some tunnel access points.

The duration of the service suspension is unknown, and there is no timetable for restoration. Service will be restored only when it is safe to do so, after careful inspections of all equipment and tracks. Even with minimal damage this is expected to be a lengthy process.

Combined news sources

As Hurricane Sandy approaches the New York region, residents of some flood-prone areas have been told to evacuate and officials are preparing for a possible transit system shutdown.

Calling Hurricane Sandy an “unpredictable” storm, Tri-State Area officials urged New Yorkers to prepare for the worst as the storm, boasting winds of 75 mph, began progressing up the East Coast Saturday.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency “in every county in the state” and activated the emergency crews to monitor Sandy as it worked its way north. The declaration of emergency allows access to federal funding and more flexibility for the state government, Cuomo said.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged residents to be proactive, calling Sandy a “large, unpredictable storm.”

There are many areas that will be at risk as the storm approaches, Bloomberg said at an Office of Emergency Management news conference. Several areas have been designated as Evacuation Zone A.

Those areas, Bloomberg said, include:
• Coney Island, Manhattan Beach and Red Hook and other areas along the East River in Brooklyn;
• All of the Rockaways, as well as Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel in Queens;
• Almost all of the coastline of Staten Island;
• City Island, a small patch of Throgg’s Neck, and another patch of the South Bronx in the Bronx;
• Battery Park City and stretches of the West Side waterfront and of the Lower East Side and East Village in Manhattan.

A decision on whether to halt service will be made Sunday, but preparations must begin preparing immediately for a possible suspension.

If the decision is made to halt service, New York City subways and buses would start phasing out service at 7 p.m. Sunday.