U.S. East Coast braces for 'life-threatening' Hurricane Henri as residents stockpile goods

The U.S. East Coastbraced on Saturday to take a direct hit from Hurricane Henri asit threatened to pound the region with fierce winds and heavyrains that could cause "life-threatening" storm surge andflooding, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

As of theafternoon, the storm was gathering strength,packing 120 km/hwinds while it moved north about 290 kilometres east of North Carolina. On its current track, Henri wasexpected to make landfall in Long Island, N.Y.,or southernNew England on Sunday evening, the centre said in an advisory.

Henri was expected to hit as Mexico was pummelled by Hurricane Grace, killing several people, before weakening to a tropical storm.

Canada's East Coast is expected to feel some of the impacts of the storm, but Henri won't likely be a big threat for the Maritimes.

In the U.S. East, more than 42 million people were under ahurricane or tropical storm warning, the NHC said.

Parts of Long Islandand New Haven, Conn.,were under hurricane and storm surge warnings. Other parts of New England, such as Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, were undersurge and tropical storm watches and warnings.

"This is a life-threatening situation. Persons locatedwithin these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for otherdangerous conditions," the NHC said.

Evacuations urged off Long Island coast

People evacuated popular beach communities and made last-minute runs on batteries and gasoline asHenri
churned closer to Long Island and southern New England.

A mandatory evacuation order was issued for some residents closest to the water in Madison, Conn. First Selectwoman
Peggy Lyons wrote in a public notice, that any "residents who do not leave the evacuation zone by 9 p.m. tonight [Saturday] are putting their lives at risk and public safety crews will not be able to respond to you once winds exceed 50 mph [80 km/h]."

New York City, meanwhile, was under atropical storm warning. Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents ina Twitter post to stay home on Sunday and to use publictransportation if they need to travel.

Residents and visitors on Fire Island, a narrow strip of sandy villages barely above sea level off Long Island's southern coast, were urged to evacuate. The last boats out will leave at 10:40 p.m. ET Saturday; after that, officials said, there may be no way out for people who decide to ride out the storm.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo pleaded with New York residents to make last-minute preparations.

"We have short notice. We're talking about tomorrow [Sunday]," Cuomo said. "So if you have to move, if you have to stock up, if you have to get to higher ground, it has to be today. Please."

Service on some eastern branches of the Long Island Rail Road, a major commuter rail system, will be suspended at midnight, said Cuomo, who will leave office in two days in the wake ofa sexual harassment scandal.

Emergency management officials said heavy rainfall anddamaging winds could flood roadways and reduce visibility throughout the weekend.

"Secure outdoor objects and make sure you are in a safelocation before the onset of wind and rain!," John Scrivani, New York City's emergency management commissioner,wrote in an tweet on Saturday.

The centre warned that Henri could produce storm surges of oneto 1.5 metresalong the coast in New England, 120 km/hor higher wind gustsand rains of 76 to 152 millimetres, with 254 millimetres in isolated areas.

Shelves emptied, long gas station lines

In the tiny Hampton hamlet of Amagansett, N.Y., home to PaulMcCartney, Alec Baldwin and Gwyneth Paltrow, normallywell-heeled residents packed supermarkets, hardware and liquorstores early Saturday morning.

At the IGA supermarket, shelves were stripped bare of toiletpaper, paper towels and other supplies. Motorists waited in longlines at gas stations while stores ran out of flashlights.

Some of the most patient shoppers stood in a long line atthe Balsam Farm Stand, which was packed with anxious shoppersfilling bags with heirloom tomatoes, organic zucchinis, $9 free-range eggs and hand-crafted mozzarella.

Michael Cinque, owner of the Amagansett Wine & Spirit,deliberated whether to board up the windows of his store asshoppers streamed in and then out with bottles of tequila, vodkaand other expensive liquors.

You always have to be prepared. You have to take it seriously.- Michael Cinque, liquor store owner in Amagansett, N.Y.

"You always have to be prepared," said Cinque, who has ownedthe store for 42 years and also volunteers as an emergencyresponder. "You have to take it seriously."

In his back storeroom, he shifted pink wine boxes to get near a wooden board that listed all of the hurricanes and "big ones" that the liquor store had weathered, going back to the NewEngland hurricane of September 1938.

In Newport, R.I.,a coastal yachting community of25,000 people, sump pumps, flashlights and generators were alsoin high demand.

Eversource, the largest electric utility company inConnecticut, warned residents to be prepared for power outagesfor up to five to 10 days.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and ConnecticutGov.Ned Lamont activated the National Guard in their statesto help in possible rescue, debris clearing and public safetyefforts.