Nutter warns residents in flood plains to prepare to flee before Sandyarrives

MAYOR NUTTER SAYS residents in flood-prone parts of the city had better be ready to get out before Hurricane Sandy comes to town.

"You should be prepared to leave your home or your residence by early Sunday afternoon, no later than 2 p.m.," Nutter said at a news conference Friday.

Rain is expected to start Sunday and grow heavier Monday and Tuesday, as the storm - which originated in the Caribbean - grows closer, with winds of 50 to 60 miles per hour.

Between 4 and 8 inches of rain could land on Philly, said Valerie Meola, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But Meola stressed that predictions for the storm are still changing.

Still, residents living in flood-prone neighborhoods - like Eastwick, Cobbs Creek, Manayunk and areas near the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers - should have evacuation plans, Nutter said. He said the rest of the city should have supplies to wait out the storm.

Nutter noted that this storm is trickier to deal with than Hurricane Irene last year because, unlike Irene, which fell on a weekend, Sandy will descend at the beginning of a workweek.

"[It] has a variety of different impacts on folks trying to get to work, trying to get to the doctor, kids trying to get to school," Nutter said.

So far, he has not declared a state of emergency in the city, but he will be updating the city's response over the weekend.

To prepare for Sandy, the Water Department is out this weekend trying to remove leaves from storm drains that could cause flooding, Nutter said.

The city's 3-1-1 nonemergency call line will be open over the weekend and the city will open shelters if needed, Nutter said. He urged residents to sign up for the city's text-alert service at https://phila.alertpa.org/.