As a nor'easter bears down on New York and New Jersey, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State of New Jersey have declared states of emergency. Roads are flooded in New Jersey, and water has reached some homes. The Global Citizen Festival, scheduled for Saturday on the Great Lawn in Central Park, has been canceled for the first time in 14 years. Rain and strong winds will continue through Sunday, and power outages remain possible throughout the weekend.
A September nor'easter has finally hit New York and New Jersey head-on. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for several counties, including New York City, and the State of New Jersey took the same step. The declarations cite flooding, high winds and heavy rain.
In New Jersey, roads have already begun to flood, and water has entered homes in some areas. Hochul warned that power outages could occur throughout the weekend. Because the low-pressure system is moving slowly, rain and wind are expected to continue without a break from Friday afternoon through Sunday.
Major Central Park Event Canceled for the First Time in 14 Years
Weekend events are being canceled one after another. The biggest is the Global Citizen Festival, which was scheduled for Saturday on the Great Lawn in Central Park. Announcing the cancellation on the afternoon of Sept. 25, organizers said, "We cannot safely position thousands of attendees, artists, staff and equipment in heavy rain and strong winds." It is the first cancellation in 14 years.
Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Rainey Wilson, Shaboozey and the Korean group Tomorrow X Together (TXT) were scheduled to take the stage, with Hugh Jackman set to host. Purchased tickets will be refunded automatically, and tickets received through donations are also eligible for refunds. In New York City, the All Things Go and CBGB festivals have also been canceled.
Korean American events have also been affected. The NJ Chuseok Festival, originally scheduled for two days, Sept. 25-26, at New Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park, was cut to a single day on Sept. 25 after the park was closed to use on Sept. 26.
If you plan to go out this weekend, check road conditions first. It is hard to judge the depth of standing water, so it is safer to turn around and take another route. To prepare for outages, charge your phone and portable battery, and move items stored in the basement to higher ground.