“Henry’s worst-case scenario could be Hampton Bull-Eye,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Dominic Ramani, who said the region could see storm surges of up to five feet and winds of up to 80.mph. “
Southampton plans to issue voluntary evacuation orders to about 6,000 people on Saturday afternoon, according to city supervisor Jay Schneiderman, who was expected other Hampton cities would follow its lead. “We don’t get so many storms,” he said.
Another 500 people were under voluntary evacuation alert in the city of East Hampton.
Mr Ramani said he hoped people from the sensitive peninsula – especially the many visitors to the region – would heed the warnings. “There are a lot of new people on the island who may not be ready or used to this kind of weather,” he said.
City officials worry that businesses will still be affected by the Covid-19 shutdown due to prolonged power cuts.
“This will increase the likelihood of an exodus of people who have other options to go back to their other homes or elsewhere,” said East Hampton city supervisor Peter Van Skoyok, adding that traffic is already out of town. Heading out west. Had been. “Any interruption in peak tourist season is probably going to be felt by business.”