As Tropical Storm Henri hits US east coast, thousands left without power

By Team NewsableFirst Published Aug 23, 2021, 9:47 AM IST
Highlights

Storm Henri is predicted to move northwest before stopping near the New York-Connecticut border, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
 

Tropical Storm Henri battered Rhode Island on the United States' east coast, knocking out thousands of power lines and dumping record rainfall. In New England, US President Joe Biden warned the storm had the "potential for broad effects across the area, including major floods and power outages." The President of the United States has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief operations in Rhode Island, which has been the most impacted by the storm.

Storm Henri slowed over Rhode Island after making landfall on Sunday, although it brought significant rain across the northeast United States. Storm Heri is predicted to move northwest before stopping near the New York-Connecticut border, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). As officials remained on high alert, the hurricane struck Rhode Island with wind gusts of 95kph.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo expressed concern about floods in the area. Long Island and southern New England, including sections of Massachusetts' Cape Cod, have been placed on high alert. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated that approximately 42 million people in the region were under Tropical Storm Henri's alert warning, with storm surges predicted, however, the surge warning was subsequently withdrawn.

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As it approached America's northeastern coast, the storm was reduced from a Category 1 hurricane. As emergency services reacted to Connecticut's outages, flash flooding was seen in Newark and New Jersey. At least 200 flights were cancelled at Newark airport due to the storm, including many at New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports.
 

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