Ahead Of Sandy, City Orders MANDATORY Evacuation Of Zone A, Including Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach And Sheepshead Bay

Residents of Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach and sections of Sheepshead Bay – as well as others living in Evacuation Zone A – are being ordered by city officials to evacuate to safer grounds as Hurricane Sandy approaches.

(Get all the latest Hurricane Sandy-related news, announcements and resources, including live video, at our Hurricane Sandy Resource page.)

Along the southern tip of Brooklyn, Zone A includes all of Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach and Coney Island, as well as all residences between Emmons Avenue and Shore Parkway. The entire waterfront commercial district of Sheepshead Bay – including all businesses and residences between Ocean Parkway and Ocean Avenue from the water to Avenue X are also in Zone A.

Approximately 250,000 people – in areas including the financial district of Manhattan, all of the Rockaways and huge swaths of Staten Island in additional to local Brooklyn coastal communities – are being required to evacuate.

To get the word out, the city will deploy signage indicating the evacuation at major intersections throughout the city, and are having local police officers pass through every street in the command making announcements by loudspeaker.

Mayor Bloomberg ordered the evacuation during a press conference this morning. It’s the second time in the city’s history such an announcement has been made, the first being in August of 2011 for Hurricane Irene.

Hospitals and critical care centers are not being evacuated, unlike during Hurricane Irene, a decision the Bloomberg administration made in light of the emergency infrastructure these facilities have and the frailty of their patients.

The city’s evacuation centers are now open, allowing residents and their pets a place of refuge. You can find a list of evacuation centers here.

Need to know if you’re in Zone A? You can use this tool from the city, or the interactive map below from WNYC: