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Hurricanes close Atlantic City Casinos

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Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City, New Jersey (Photo credit: Dougtone)

A hurricane is shutting down Atlantic City’s casinos for the second time in a little over a year. With Hurricane Sandy taking aim at New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie ordered Atlantic City’s 12 casinos to shut down by yesterday afternoon as part of his statewide emergency declaration.

 It will mark the fourth time in the 34-year history of legalized gambling in Atlantic City that the casinos have been shuttered. Last year, the approach of Hurricane Irene shut the casinos down for three days in August.

Tony Rodio, president of the Tropicana Casino and Resort and head of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said safety takes precedence over business concerns. “It’s definitely going to hurt, but better safe than sorry,” he said.

Hurricane Sandy on Saturday was barreling north from the Caribbean, where it was responsible for dozens of deaths.

Christie gave the Atlantic City casinos until 4 p.m. yesterday to clear out, but many accelerated that timetable on their own. The two Trump casinos in town were asking guests to check out by 11 a.m. and for everyone to be off the premises by 2 that afternoon. At a news conference at City Hall, Mayor Lorenzo Langford urged people to take the warnings seriously and get out while there was still time. Tom Foley, Atlantic City’s emergency management director, recalled the March 1962 storm when the ocean and the bay met in the center of the city. “This is predicted to get that bad,” he said.

Yet, based on past experience, Atlantic City officials realize not everyone will heed the call to leave. So despite the mandatory evacuation order, the city is offering to bus residents to mainland shelters of the island. It also is opening its public schools as shelters, capable of housing a total of 3,000 people.

Roads leading into Atlantic City were closed by 4 p.m. yesterday, and outbound roads had to be closed at 10 p.m., or sooner if sustained winds reached 40 mph or more, Foley said. After that time, the city cannot guarantee it will be able to respond to 911 calls for help.

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