LIVING in Warrnambool, wind and rain is a part of everyday life for Jess McKane, but what she is experiencing in New York City this morning is completely different.
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From her Brooklyn Motel room the 21-year-old told The Standard it was a strange feeling as Hurricane Sandy approached the city.
"We are just cooped up in out motel room, we have been in lockdown since (yesterday)," Miss McKane said.
"The whole city is in lockdown, and we have been advised to stay indoors.
"We can see a couple of roads from the motel room and there is next to no traffic - it's very strange," she said.
"I saw a picture of Times Square on Facebook this morning, and it was deserted. When we were there on Saturday, we could barely move.
"That made me realise how serious it was."
Miss McKane arrived in New York City from Las Vegas with her tour group on Saturday, and said they were warned it was likely the city would go into lockdown. She is due to fly home on Sunday.
"It was still really clear, so we went out and did Times Square, and the Empire State Building.
"The next day we started the bus tour and did the helicopter tour; it was pretty windy by then.
"At the end of that they said we should go and buy some food and drinks because the city was going into lockdown."
She said so far the only noticeable impacts of the hurricane were on a crane across from their motel.
"We noticed this morning that the flag on the top of the crane had blown off, but that's it.
"The rest of it just looks like a normal winter's day. The sky is a really dark grey and there has been a lot of rain.
"I said to everyone else I'm used to this type of weather - it's like this all the time at home."
Miss McKane said they had been told to expect winds in the range of 70 to 90 miles per hour, between 100 and 120 kilometres per hour.
"The Weather Channel is really the only one that is covering the hurricane at the moment. All the other stations are normal.
"From what we can tell we should only get the fringes of the wind and rain in Brooklyn. The coastal areas are going to cop the brunt of it.
"At the moment we are just holed up in the hotel.
"Hopefully it will clear up soon and we can get out and do a bit more sightseeing before we fly out on Sunday."
jwoolley@standard.fairfax.com.au