FLASH: NEW YORKERS STAY PUT, TELL BLOOMBERG TO GO HAVE A SMOKE AND RELAX

The city that never sleeps started shutting down at midday on Saturday, with nearly all businesses except a smattering of food and liquor stores closing and public transportation coming to a halt ahead of Hurricane Irene.With the 530 mile-wide storm moving up the East Coast unleashing winds of 85 miles per hour and due to hit New York City late on Saturday or early Sunday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered an unprecedented evacuation of 370,000 people from low-lying areas.But many appeared to defy the evacuation order. Only 1,400 people had checked into emergency shelters, and an unknown number chose instead to stay with family and friends outside the evacuation zone, Bloomberg said.Despite the persistent warnings and ominous skies, the neighborhood around Brooklyn’s Coney Island — within the danger zone — was calm. Parked cars lined the streets, and there was no sign of a mass Exodus.

FULL STORY HERE BY REUTERS