Multiple governors declare states of emergency ahead of potentially historic storm

World Today

Cities across the Northeastern coast of the United States are in the thick of what officials are calling potentially one of the worst storms in history. The governor of New York has called a state of emergency and might order everyone to stay put later tonight. New Jersey and Connecticut are also under states of emergency. CCTV’s Karina Huber reported from New York.

Forecasters predict the full force of the storm will hit late Monday night and continue into Tuesday leaving up to three feet (about a meter) of snow. Freezing rain, strong wind gusts up to 70 miles (112 kilometers) per hour, and some power outages are expected. New Yorkers are gearing up for what a storm the National Weather Service calls “life-threatening” and “historic.”

Residents of New York City are on high alert for what the city’s mayor said could be its worst storm in years. The state has more than 1,800 plows at the ready and more than 126,000 tons of salt to spray on roads across the region.

There are plans to check on the elderly and try and get as many homeless people into shelters.

As of 11 p.m. tonight, the streets should be virtually empty as the mayor has banned all non-emergency vehicles from the roads. All of the city’s schools will be closed Tuesday and delays are expected on public transit.

Thousands of flights to and from the city have been cancelled. And at the city’s hardware stores, business was brisk.

Workers are encouraged to stay at home and weather the storm, which seemed to be good news for many.

Live: New York City snow cam