Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is warning the residents in the city to be prepared for flooding as 3-6 inches of rain is expected from Hurricane Henri.

Bhalla said Saturday afternoon that flooding in Hoboken this weekend is inevitable.

“I want to make sure that everyone here is aware and is prepared. We can’t project exactly the tracking of the storm, but we want everyone to exercise caution purely for public safety reasons,” Bhalla said. “There are a lot of residents that have garden-level apartments or garden-level living spaces throughout the city of Hoboken. To those residents, I would say, ‘Be ready.’ Let’s hope for the best, but prepare for a possibly more severe outcome.”

Since Superstorm Sandy’s devastating flooding in 2021, Hoboken has spent millions in infrastructure improvements to mitigate flooding.

One example is Southwest Park, which is designed to absorb rainwater and has underwater holding tanks that can absorb 71,000 gallons of water.

Bhalla says that he is confident that these projects will reduce flooding. But residents still need to be prepared.

“We’re not going to prevent flooding tomorrow. There will be flooding tomorrow and I want residents to be aware of that. But we’ve done everything humanly possible to make sure the extent of flooding is mitigated,” Bhalla said.

Streets in low-lying areas will be closed in anticipation of flooding and residents are urged to move their vehicles to higher ground. There are reduced rates at city parking garages for those who wish to use them.