New York – They wanted to party, listen to music and dance. A year and a half into the pandemic, New Yorkers wanted to celebrate themselves, and tens of thousands made the pilgrimage to Central Park for an outdoor concert. Then Hurricane Henry came.
It was meant to be an evening of bigs and stars, with LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Jennifer Hudson, Carlos Santana, country singer Kane Brown, Pop-classic tenor Andrea Bocelli, Barry Manilow, Elvis Costello, and… Patti Smith, The Killers and Bruce Springsteen.
But then Hurricane Henry came!
After a good two hours, came the sudden turn: the first branches of Hurricane Henry, which were announced Sunday in the northeastern United States, forced the city into rain and thunderstorms.
The first lightning bolts flashed near Central Park – according to CNN, according to safety rules, it was too close to continue the concert. Old-fashioned pop singer Barry Manilow, 78, was just beginning his biggest career hits with “Copacabana” and “Mandy” when organizers had to cancel.
Barry Manilow sings at We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert in New York’s Central ParkPhoto: Niyi Fote / dpa
“I was very disappointed,” Manilow later told CNN. “It was such a great and wonderful experience until it started raining.”
Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder was heard as people streamed out of the garden. “I think that makes sense for safety reasons,” said Maria Fuentes, one of the concert attendees, disappointed.
LL COOL J & Friends on stagePhoto: Niyi Fote / dpa
60,000 people attended the concert in Central Park, New York Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
At first, spectators were only asked to protect themselves from the rain, and then it only increased in intensity.
At about 10:30 p.m., the final end came. Police said that because the storm was approaching, all visitors should “calmly head to the nearest exit”.
“Henry will bring dangerous storms and inland floods. Winds will be a problem for the power outages,” Dakota Smith, a US meteorologist from the National Center for Atmospheric Research told BILD.
Meteorologists with the US Hurricane Center NHC expected “Henry” to hit the coast Sunday noon (local time), but it will likely hit Long Island in the east of the capital and states in the northeast such as Rhode Island, Connecticut. and Massachusetts in particular.
42 million people were affected by the effects, and 500 National Guardsmen were mobilized in the US state of New York. US meteorologists have warned of a “life-threatening storm” from Queens to Montauk on the eastern tip of Long Island.
“The storm was approaching Long Island with winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. The plane should crash into the coast Sunday lunchtime, possibly near Southampton,” reports BILD reporter Herbert Bauernebel of New York.
Local resident Raphael Roman protecting his home in East Haven, ConnecticutPhoto: Michelle McLaughlin/Reuters
In New England, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, authorities have called on residents to prepare. In Massachusetts, parks and beaches are said to be closed through Monday. According to forecasts, up to 300,000 people there may be without power.
Henry will be the first hurricane to hit New England states in 30 years. In 1991, Hurricane Bob killed 17 people there. The last hurricane warning for New York was issued in August 2011 by Hurricane Irene. A year later, Tropical Storm Sandy caused extensive damage, killing 44 people and cutting off electricity in large parts of Manhattan.
