Storm Barrels Through Region, Leaving Destructive Path - The New York Times The New York Times U.S. |Storm Barrels Through Region, Leaving Destructive Path Search Continue reading the main story Hurricane Sandy battered the mid-Atlantic region on Monday, its powerful gusts and storm surges causing once-in-a-generation flooding in coastal communities, knocking down trees and power lines and leaving more than five million people — including a large swath of Manhattan — in the rain-soaked dark. At least seven deaths in the New York region were tied to the storm. The mammoth and merciless storm made landfall near Atlantic City around 8 p.m., with maximum sustained winds of about 80 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. That was shortly after the center had reclassified the storm as a post-tropical cyclone, a scientific renaming that had no bearing on the powerful winds, driving rains and life-threatening storm surge expected to accompany its push onto land. The storm had unexpectedly picked up speed as it roared over the Atlantic Ocean on a slate-gray day and went on to paralyze life for millions of people in more than a half-dozen states, with extensive evacuations that turned shorefront neighborhoods into ghost towns.

Even the superintendent of the Statue of Liberty left to ride out the storm at his mother’s house in New Jersey; he said the statue itself was “high and dry,” but his house in the shadow of the torch was not. The wind-driven rain lashed sea walls and protective barriers in places like Atlantic City, where the Boardwalk was damaged as water forced its way inland. Foam was spitting, and the sand gave in to the waves along the beach at Sandy Hook, N.J., at the entrance to New York Harbor. Water was thigh-high on the streets in Sea Bright, N.J., a three-mile sand-sliver of a town where the ocean joined the Shrewsbury River. “It’s the worst I’ve seen,” said David Arnold, watching the storm from his longtime home in Long Branch, N.J. “The ocean is in the road, there are trees down everywhere. I’ve never seen it this bad.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office said late Monday night that at least five deaths in the state were attributable to the storm. At least three of those involved falling trees.

About 7 p.m., a tree fell on a house in Queens, killing a 30-year-old man, the city police said. About the same time, two boys, ages 11 and 13, were killed in North Salem in Westchester County, when a tree fell on the house they were in, according to the State Police. In Morris County, N.J., a man and a woman were killed when a tree fell on their car Monday evening, The Associated Press reported. In Manhattan, NYU Langone Medical Center’s backup power system failed Monday evening, forcing the evacuation of patients to other facilities. In a Queens beach community, nearly 200 firefighters were battling a huge blaze early on Tuesday morning that tore through more than 50 tightly-packed homes in an area where heavy flooding slowed responders. Earlier, a construction crane atop one of the tallest buildings in the city came loose and dangled 80 stories over West 57th Street, across the street from Carnegie Hall. Soon power was going out and water was rushing in. Waves topped the sea wall in the financial district in Manhattan, sending cars floating downstream. West Street, along the western edge of Lower Manhattan, looked like a river.

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, known officially as the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in memory of a former governor, flooded “from end to end,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said, hours after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York ordered it closed to traffic.Officials said water also seeped into seven subway tunnels under the East River. Joseph J. Lhota, the transit authority chairman, called the storm the most devastating disaster in the 108-year history of the subway system. “We could be fishing out our windows tomorrow,” said Garnett Wilcher, a barber who lives in the Hammells Houses, a block from the ocean in the Rockaways in Queens. Still, he said he felt safe at home. Pointing to neighboring apartment houses in the city-run housing project, he said, “We got these buildings for jetties.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Hurricane-force winds extended up to 175 miles from the center of the storm; tropical-storm-force winds spread out 485 miles from the center. Forecasters said tropical-storm-force winds could stretch all the way north to Canada and all the way west to the Great Lakes. Snow was expected in some states.

Businesses and schools were closed; roads, bridges and tunnels were closed; and more than 13,000 airline flights were canceled. Even the Erie Canal was shut down. Subways were shut down from Boston to Washington, as were Amtrak and the commuter rail lines. About 1,000 flights were canceled at each of the three major airports in the New York City area. Philadelphia International Airport had 1,200 canceled flights, according to FlightAware, a data provider in Houston. And late Monday night, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said cabs had been instructed to get off New York City roads. A replica of the H.M.S. Bounty, a tall ship built for the 1962 movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” starring Marlon Brando and used in the recent “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, sank off the North Carolina coast. The Coast Guard said the 180-foot three-masted ship went down near the Outer Banks after being battered by 18-foot-high seas and thrashed by 40-m.p.h. winds. The body of one crew member, Claudene Christian, 42, was recovered. Another crew member remained missing.

Delaware banned cars and trucks from state roadways for other than “essential personnel.” “The most important thing right now is for people to use common sense,” Gov. Jack Markell said. “We didn’t want people out on the road going to work and not being able to get home again.” Photo The Red Hook section of Brooklyn was flooded on Monday. Credit Robert Stolarik for The New York Times By early evening, the storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, stores and office buildings. Consolidated Edison said that as of 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, 634,000 customers in New York City and Westchester County were without power. Con Edison, fearing damage to its electrical equipment, shut down power pre-emptively in sections of Lower Manhattan on Monday evening, and then, at 8:30 p.m., an unplanned failure, probably caused by flooding in substations, knocked out power to most of Manhattan below Midtown, about 250,000 customers. Later, an explosion at a Con Ed substation on East 14th Street knocked out power to another 250,000 customers.

In New Jersey, more than two million customers were without power as of 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, and in Connecticut nearly 500,000. President Obama, who returned to the White House and met with top advisers, said Monday that the storm would disrupt the rhythms of daily life in the states it hit. “Transportation is going to be tied up for a long time,” he said, adding that besides flooding, there would probably be widespread power failures. He said utility companies had lined up crews to begin making repairs. But he cautioned that it could be slow going. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up “The fact is, a lot of these emergency crews are not going to get into position to start restoring power until some of these winds die down,” the president said. He added, “That may take several days.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Forecasters attributed the power of the storm to a convergence of weather systems.

As the hurricane swirled north in the Atlantic and then pivoted toward land, a wintry storm was heading toward it from the west, and cold air was blowing south from the Arctic. The hurricane left more than 60 people dead in the Caribbean before it began crawling toward the Northeast. “The days ahead are going to be very difficult, Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland said. “There will be people who die and are killed in this storm,” he said. Alex Sosnowski, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, said potentially damaging winds would continue on Tuesday from Illinois to the Carolinas — and as far north as Maine — as the storm barreled toward the eastern Great Lakes. Mr. Cuomo, who ordered many of the most heavily used bridges and tunnels in New York City closed, warned that the surge from Hurricane Sandy could go two feet higher than that associated with Tropical Storm Irene last year. The PATH system, buses and the Staten Island Ferry system were also suspended. Mr. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has said he expected to restore at least some service about 12 hours after the storm ended. But possible flooding within the subway system could prevent a full-scale reopening.

The storm headed toward land with weather that was episodic: a strong gust of wind one minute, then mist. More wind. Thin sheets of rain dancing down the street. Then, for a moment, nothing. The sky lightened. Then another blast of rain. Then more wind. The day brought a giddiness to schoolchildren who had the day off and to grown-ups who were fascinated by the rough, rising water. Some went surfing, discounting the danger. Felquin Piedra, 38, rode his Jet Ski from Queens to Lower Manhattan. “I love the waves,” Mr. Piedra yelled from New York Harbor. “The water is warm. I’ve jumped in several times.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story But even when landfall was still hours away, there was no holding back the advance guard of the storm — fast-moving bands of rain and punishing winds. It added up to devastation. Driving through places like Pompton Plains, N.J., late Monday afternoon was like an X-Games contest for drivers. They had to do tree-limb slaloms on side streets and gunned their engines anxiously as they passed wind funnels of leaves swirling on highways.

On City Island, off the Bronx mainland, Cheryl Brinker sprayed “Sandy Stay Away” on her boarded-up art studio, expanding a collage she started during Tropical Storm Irene last year. But by midafternoon, nearby Ditmars Street was under as much as five feet of water and Steve Van Wickler said the water had cracked the cement in his cellar. “It’s like a little river running in my basement,” he said. “There are cracks and leaks everywhere.” In some places, caravans of power-company trucks traveled largely empty roads; Public Service Electric and Gas said that 600 line workers and 526 tree workers had arrived from across the country, but could not start the repairs and cleanup until the wind had subsided, perhaps not until Wednesday. They will see a landscape that, in many places, was remade by the storm. In Montauk, at the end of Long Island, a 50-seat restaurant broke in half. Half of the building floated away and broke into pieces on the beach.

The 110-foot-tall lighthouse at Montauk Point — the oldest in the state, opened in 1796 — shuddered in the storm despite walls that are six feet thick at the base. The lighthouse keeper, Marge Winski, said she had never felt anything like that in 26 years on the job. “I went up in tower and it was vibrating, it was shaking,” she said. “I got out of it real quick. I’ve been here through hurricanes, and nor’easters, but nothing this bad.” A version of this article appears in print on October 30, 2012, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: STORM PICKS UP SPEED AND DISRUPTS MILLIONS OF LIVES. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Hurricane Sandy barrels towards the US – will it really be the end of days? | US news | The Guardian Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy barrels towards the US – will it really be the end of days? Forecasters are predicting an unusual degree of severe weather, but it's much too early for the hurricane hysteria to kick in The Manhattan skyline as Hurricane Irene approached last year.

Sandy could hit New York City next week. Photograph: KeystoneUSA-Zuma/Rex Features Thursday 25 October 2012 14.00 EDT First published on Thursday 25 October 2012 14.00 EDT Share on Messenger Close The 2011 meteorological autumn was unusual in that both a hurricane and an October snowstorm hit the north-east. They occurred two months apart, and the idea that either one would happen again in the near-term was not something high up on the probability scale. But if there is one thing more unpredictable than politics, it's the weather. Government forecasters are warning that the US east coast is likely to be battered next week, not by a winter storm or a hurricane, but by an unusual combination of steady gale-force winds, flooding, heavy rain and possibly snow. It has already been dubbed the "snor'eastercane". Hurricane Sandy is currently approaching the Bahamas . With 105mph winds and a central low pressure of 964 millibars, Sandy seems likely at this point to hit the east coast of the United States.

Where and how Sandy will make her mark is still very much up in the up air. Here's what we know for sure: the National Hurricane Center's latest track has Sandy staying well off the coast for the next 72 hours. Pretty much all weather models agree on this track. Most often that a storm such as Sandy would go out to sea at this point – following the warm waters of the Gulf stream. Graphic: National Hurricane Center The kicker here is that the jet stream , which carries weather systems across the country, is coming along at the perfect time and will block the eastward movement of Sandy. The jet will force the storm to head due north. The jet should then pick up the storm and bring it back towards to the coast. The result is a five day projection of Sandy as a tropical storm (ie winds of 39-74mph) into New York City by Tuesday midday. Graphic: National Hurricane Center Note how there is a wide range of uncertainty in Sandy's track. You should embrace that uncertainty because there is a large degree of unknown at this point. We don't know exactly how Sandy will interact with the jet.

The European model has a most forceful merging of the jet with Sandy and turns it into the coast somewhere around Virginia. That would lead to tremendous winds and coastal erosion to the north-east of there including New Jersey and up to New York City. This solution is mostly supported by the US navy model among others. Earlier runs of the American GFS were on the opposite end of the spectrum, with less interaction with the jet stream causing the storm to make its way up to Maine before turning inward. That would lead to less impact further to the south as the strongest winds are on the north-eastern side of tropical storms. I must admit it I'm not really buying this solution as the latest run of the GFS is starting to look more like the middle ground spoken about below. The middle ground track at this point seems to be the GFS ensembles and last night's run of the Canadian model . These models take Sandy parallel with the coast up to about the North Carolina/Virginia border before making a sharp left turn and into the New Jersey/New York City area. This solution would lead to heavy winds and rain on the order of perhaps a foot or more into the New York City metropolitan area. There would likely be coastal evacuations around New York City.

Heavy rains could also extend back into areas away from the center such as Philadelphia. Again though, this middle ground is merely one scenario, and we're many days away. Within these different tracks, one thing is very clear: the storm is going to be very powerful. The models are printing out central low pressures of between 935 and 950 millibars. The lowest pressure on hurricane Isaac earliest this year was 968 millibars. What does that mean? This low pressure indicates that even if you aren't in the center of the storm you're going to get hit pretty hard if you are anywhere near it. That's why the exact track of Sandy isn't as important as it might be otherwise. You'll see at least some rain from the Carolinas all the way up into New England. Combine this with a full moon, and there is going to be some major flooding along the coast for many miles. The reason for this extremely low pressure is again due to the jet interaction. The air the jet stream is ushering in is rather cold. In fact, it's snowing right now in Minnesota.

When you combine this cold air with the warm air of a cyclone of tropical origin, you're bound to get rapid intensification. The rapid intensification will also help to drag down cold air that the jet is ushering in as atmospheric heights drop. Snow is unlikely in the big cities, but snow seems possible to the west-south-west of wherever the storm hits. It's this sector where we will have moisture as well as a cutting off of the warm air associated with the cyclone. You could get some good snow in the Northern Appalachian Mountains with perhaps minor accumulations from State College to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and up to Buffalo, New York, if the middle ground track came to fruition. Like the rest of the storm, we don't know where that snow line is going to be just yet and how much will fall where rain changes over to snow. Overall, Sandy does not seem to be messing around. It's about as much the real deal as a storm can be at this point. We'll have to keep an eye out where the storm ultimately decides to go in the coming days.

Evacuations, shutdowns on East Coast before storm | Reuters Sun Oct 28, 2012 | 7:31 PM EDT Evacuations, shutdowns on East Coast before storm By Michael Erman and Caroline Humer | NEW YORK NEW YORK Tens of millions of East Coast residents scrambled on Sunday to prepare for Hurricane Sandy, which could make landfall as the largest storm to hit the United States, bringing battering winds, flooding and even heavy snow. The massive storm, which has already killed 66 people in the Caribbean, was headed toward a densely populated region that includes Washington, New York and Boston and its effects could be felt for hundreds of miles, officials warned. It could be the largest storm to hit the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. New York and other big cities closed their transit systems and schools and ordered residents of low-lying areas to evacuate before a storm surge that could reach as 11 feet. They warned that power outages could last for days. "We're expecting the worst, hoping for the best. We're getting everything off the basement floor.

We've got two sump pumps but during Hurricane Floyd, we were down there for 17 hours straight sweeping water into the sump pumps," said Maria Ogorek, a Maplewood, New Jersey, lawyer and mother of three. The U.S. government said it had granted administrative leave to non-emergency federal workers in the Washington D.C area. The New York Stock Exchange said it would close its trading floor on Monday for the first time since Hurricane Gloria in 1985. All stocks listed on the exchange will trade electronically, NYSE Euronext said. President Barack Obama asked residents to heed the orders of state and local authorities to protect themselves from Sandy. "This is a serious and big storm," Obama said after a briefing at the federal government's storm response center in Washington. "We don't yet know where it's going to hit, where we're going to see the biggest impacts. Officials ordered many school closures, New Jersey casinos and Broadway theaters prepared to close, airlines got ready to halt flight activity in the New York area, and residents cleared store shelves of vital supplies and food.

EVACUATION ORDERS New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the evacuation of low-lying areas of New York City, from upscale parts of lower Manhattan to waterfront housing projects in the outer boroughs, that are home to some 375,000 people. "If you refuse to evacuate you're not only putting yourself at risk but also the first responders who will have put themselves at risk in an emergency," Bloomberg told a news conference. In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Fire Department Captain Frank Rivera was ordering residents of 300 waterfront homes to evacuate. "A lot of them are on their way out but some of them are thinking about (Hurricane) Irene and how they didn't get damage and I tell them it's two different animals," Rivera said, referring to the August 2011 hurricane that brought severe flooding to parts of New Jersey and Vermont. Officials warned that flooding could be particularly severe since the storm's arrival coincides with a full moon, which normally means higher-than-usual high tides. "The most worrisome aspect of Sandy is the high tides," said Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee.

"With the full moon occurring Monday, with Sandy coming up the Bay, we're very concerned about flooding in our low-lying coastal areas." New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia transit authorities said they would begin shutting down service on Sunday afternoon. Maryland's transit system, serving some suburbs of Washington, said it would not open on Monday. Amtrak, the passenger rail service, canceled nearly all service on the Eastern seaboard on Monday and would halt its service north of New York along the Northeast corridor. Transit systems in Washington and Boston said they planned to operate as usual on Monday as long as it was safe to do so. Airlines flying into and out of New York's three major airports were all expected to cease flight activity on Sunday night, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Forecasters said Sandy was a rare, hybrid "super storm" created by an Arctic jet stream wrapping itself around a tropical storm, possibly causing up to 12 inches of rain in some areas, as well as up to 3 feet of snowfall in the Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia to Kentucky.

Nasdaq planned to open on Monday despite the transit shutdown and evacuation orders, with big banks putting up key personnel in hotels overnight so that they would be able to make it in to work on Monday morning. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange said it would suspend floor trading on the NYMEX oil market on Monday, as it is located in the New York City evacuation zone near the Hudson River. It said electronic trading would go on as usual. BROADWAY GOES DARK Worried residents in the hurricane's path packed stores, searching for generators, flashlights, batteries, food and other supplies in anticipation of power outages. Broadway's theaters planned to close on Sunday night and remain closed on Monday. New York City, Boston and Washington were among the jurisdictions that announced schools would be shut on Monday. Sandy blew the presidential race off course, forcing Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to cancel scheduled campaign stops. It fueled fears that the storm could disrupt early voting before the November 6 election. Nearly 284,000 residential properties valued at $88 billion are at risk for damage from storm-surge flooding, risk analysts CoreLogic said. As of 2:00 p.m.

EDT/1800 GMT on Sunday, there were fewer than 5,000 customers without power in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a statement. While Sandy's 75 mph winds were not overwhelming for a hurricane, its exceptional size means the winds will last as long as two days, bringing down trees, roofs and buildings and piling up rainfall and storm surge. Hurricane-force winds extended 175 miles from the center of the asymmetrical storm, while its lesser tropical storm-force winds spanned 520 miles in diameter. Sandy was centered about 530 miles south of New York City, at late afternoon on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. It pushed seawater up over the barrier islands off North Carolina known as the Outer Banks. Sandy was moving northeast over the Atlantic, parallel to the U.S. coast, at 15 mph. Sandy killed at least 66 people as it made its way through the Caribbean islands, including 51 in Haiti, mostly from flash flooding and mudslides, according to authorities.

Even with all the warnings, some people tried to carry on with their plans. "I just don't buy into the hype," said Kate Sullivan, a 40-year old computer specialist from Alexandria, Virginia, who was headed to Baltimore Washington International airport for a planned flight to Los Angeles. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up in LA by the end of the night." (Additional reporting by Edith Honan, Caroline Humer, Paul Thomasch, John McCrank and Janet McGurty in New York, Gene Cherry in North Carolina, Dave Warner in Philadelphia, Mary Ellen Clark and Ebong Udoma in Connecticut, Will Dunham, David Morgan and Matt Spetalnick in Washington. Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Will Dunham and Christopher Wilson) ADVERTISEMENT 1/21 A woman looks out from the boardwalk in Coney Island as waves come ashore in New York, October 28, 2012. Reuters/Keith Bedford + 2/21 Storm waves from Hurricane Sandy in Ocean City, New Jersey, October 28, 2012.

The popular boardwalk in this resort town has dozens of businesses facing the ocean and is expected to get the full brunt of the storm when it hits land sometime Monday. Hurricane Sandy could be the biggest storm to hit the United States mainland when it comes ashore on Monday night, bringing strong winds and dangerous flooding to the East Coast from the mid-Atlantic states to New England, forecasters said on Sunday. Reuters/Tom Mihalek + 3/21 Over a dozen dead, over 7 million without power as Sandy pummels the East Coast | Fox News Over a dozen dead, over 7 million without power as Sandy pummels the East Coast Published October 30, 2012 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 livefyre Email Print Monster Storm Sandy slammed into the East Coast Monday, killing at least 16 people, hurling a record-breaking 13-foot surge of seawater at New York City and knocking out power to more than 7.5 million across the East Coast.

The massive storm was downgraded from a hurricane after it barged ashore in southern New Jersey around 8:00 p.m., bringing more than 85-mph winds and a roiling wall of seawater as it moved through New York City. The 16 deaths were reported in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Some of the victims were killed by falling trees. At least one death was blamed on the storm in Canada. President Obama declared a major disaster in New York, Long Island, and New Jersey early Tuesday, making federal funding available to people in the area. New York was among the hardest hit, with its financial heart closest for a second day and seawater cascading into the still-gaping construction pit at the World Trade Center. More on this... Hurricane Sandy grounds Northeast air travel; normal operations could be days away Water lapped over the seawall in Lower Manhattan , flooding rail yards, subway tracks, tunnels and roads. Rescue workers floated bright orange rafts down flooded downtown streets, while police officers rolled slowly down the street with loudspeakers telling people to go home.

New Jersey was also hit hard, with many residents of Atlantic City and other barrier island communities stranded by high floodwaters as of Monday night. Most of Atlantic City was covered with water, as the storm brought together the bay and ocean in nearby Longport and flooded all three roads into and out of Ocean City. Flooding also was reported at PATH train stations in Hoboken and Jersey City. Gov. Chris Christie gave a strong rebuke Monday to the people who chose to stay behind and to Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford for allowing residents to shelter in schools on the barrier island rather than move inland. Christie, a Republican, called the Democratic mayor, whom he has criticized in the past, "a rogue mayor" who's "impossible to work with." The mayor didn't return messages seeking comment. The power was out for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and an estimated more than 7.5 million altogether across the East, with the full extent of the storm's damage across the region unclear and unlikely to be known until daybreak. The MTA cut power to some subway tunnels in lower Manhattan, after water came into the stations and tracks.

The MTA said late Monday it is not yet sure how much damage had been done, and how much time it would take to restore everything to normal. Consolidated Edison was prompted to cut power to part of the area to avoid storm damage. New York University's Tisch Hospital was forced late Monday to evacuate 200 patients after its backup generator failed. NYU Medical Dean Robert Grossman said patients -- among them 20 babies from neonatal intensive care that were on battery-powered respirators -- had to be carried down staircases and to dozens of waiting ambulances. The former hurricane, still a powerful, 900-mile-wide hybrid of several weather systems, is now considered an extratropical cyclone. It is forecast Tuesday to head across Pennsylvania before taking another sharp turn into western New York by Wednesday morning. Although weakening as it goes, the massive storm -- which caused wind warnings from Florida to Canada -- will continue to bring heavy rain and local flooding "[It's a] very intense, very dangerous storm. People will die in this storm," Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said Monday.

"So folks will need to mind their families, stay home and hunker down." The National Guard was deployed along the densely-populated Atlantic Coast, and airports shut down Monday afternoon as the massive system churned in from the sea. "People will die in this storm." - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley Sandy has already been blamed for 69 deaths in the Caribbean before it began traveling northward, parallel to the Eastern Seaboard. In Washington, President Obama urged the millions in Sandy’s path to heed warnings from local and state officials. “When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate,” Obama said. “Don't delay, don't pause, don't question the instructions that are being given because this is a powerful storm." States of emergency were declared from North Carolina, where gusty winds whipped steady rain on Sunday, to Connecticut. Delaware ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal communities on Sunday, while Ocean City, Md., also was evacuated. Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate in anticipation of the storm, including 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City.

At least 50,000 were ordered to evacuate in Delaware alone and 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J., where the city's 12 casinos were forced to shut down for only the fourth time in the 34-year history of legalized gambling there. Airlines canceled more than 8,962 flights and Amtrak suspended passenger train service across the Northeast for Monday and Tuesday. New York and Philadelphia shut down their subways, buses and commuter trains Sunday night and announced that schools would be closed on Monday. Boston, Washington and Baltimore also called off school. In Washington and New Jersey, Metrorail and PATH train services were canceled. In Connecticut, the number of power outages began climbing as the storm moved through the state. In New York City, 250,000 homes were reported to be without power. "We're looking at impact of greater than 50 to 60 million people," said Louis Uccellini, head of environmental prediction for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An assistant manager at a Lowes store in Columbus, Ohio, told 10TV.com that people were calling in from West Virginia and Maryland to ask for supplies, and in northern Virginia, a cashier at Pitkins Ace Hardware in Dale City said batteries, flashlights and candles were flying off the shelves, PotomacLocal.com reports. The storm even put Lady Liberty on hold. The Statue of Liberty was scheduled to reopen Sunday to the public after a renovation project, but the monument will be closed Monday and Tuesday as Sandy passes through the area. The danger of the storm is hardly limited to coastal areas. Forecasters were far more worried about inland flooding from storm surge than they were about winds. Rains could saturate the ground, causing trees to topple into power lines, utility officials said, warning residents to prepare for several days at home without power. In North Carolina's Outer Banks, there was some scattered, minor flooding Sunday on the beach road in Nags Head. The Virginia National Guard was also authorized to call up to 500 troops to active duty for debris removal and road-clearing, while homeowners stacked sandbags at their front doors in coastal towns.

President Obama said the storm is "serious and big" and will be "slow moving," while he was at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get an update on plans for responding to Hurricane Sandy. The White House said in a news release that the president on Sunday signed the state of emergency declaration, which had been requested by Mayor Vincent Gray. It says federal aid should supplement the city's response efforts due to the emergency conditions. The move follows the federal government's decision to close offices on Monday. The district's board of elections also announced it was suspending early voting on Monday. It has not been determined whether here will be early voting on Tuesday. Obama nixed his participation in a campaign rally in Orlando on Monday and flew back to Washington to monitor the storm. The president has instructed his team to make sure that needed federal resources are in place to support state and local recovery efforts. Mitt Romney canceled all his campaign events for Monday night and Tuesday due to the storm. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, announced in a rare move it would not convene on Tuesday. The court will hear Tuesday's arguments on Thursday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Advertisement Hurricane Sandy 2012 pictures: FIFTY DEAD...

and it's NOT over | Daily Mail Online Next FIFTY DEAD...and it's NOT over: Obama's grim warning as he prepares to visit scenes of hurricane 'major disaster' tomorrow Storm damage projected at £12bn // Ten people in New York among the dead // Many killed by falling trees President Barack Obama has declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island President announces that he will visit New Jersey on Wednesday and warns that the crisis 'is not yet over' At least 7.4m properties across US East have lost power // New York City could be without power for a week NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg: 'Tragically we expect that number to go up' referring to New York death toll Record 13ft storm surge threatening lower Manhattan and howling winds left crane hanging from high-rise building Over 15,000 flights across the globe grounded due to Superstorm Sandy NYU Hospital loses backup power and evacuates patients // Nuclear power plant on alert More than 190 firefighters battled blaze destroying more than 80 homes in Breezy Point Stock trading is closed in the US again for a second day running - last time it was closed for two days was 1888 Classified as a post-tropical

 cyclone, Sandy is expected to turn north and track back into New York state tonight Hurricane Sandy heads toward New York and northeast US coast - as it happened | World news | The Guardian Hurricane Sandy heads toward New York and northeast US coast - as it happened Sunday 28 October 2012 11.30 EDT First published on Sunday 28 October 2012 17.18 EDT 9.17pm GMT Summary We're going to wrap up our live blog coverage of Hurricane Sandy for the day.

We'll pick up our live coverage in the morning. For local emergency services follow the links in the sub-headline above. Here's a summary of where things stand: • Hurricane Sandy is moving past North Carolina and is expected to bring gale-force winds to the mid-Atlantic coast starting tomorrow morning. Those winds are expected to grow to hurricane force by tomorrow evening. • Sandy is an exceptionally powerful storm that could produce surges of 4-8 feet along the Atlantic coast and up to 11 feet in the New York area. Rainfall predictions range from 4 inches to 12 inches. Substantial snowfall is expected in the southern mountains. • Flooding is a major threat. Ten million could lose power. • New York City has issued a mandatory evacuation for hundreds of thousands of residents of low-lying areas and will close public transportation this evening. • Public transportation, schools and some offices will be closed throughout the region Monday. Authorities advise residents in the affected area to stay near home and wait the storm out. • Residents are advised to keep their devices charged and to stock up on food and water. People with homes near evacuation areas are encouraged to prepare to-go bags with essentials should they need to move quickly.

Updated 8.24pm GMT My colleague Ewen MacAskill notes a UN closure tomorrow: Due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy, United Nations offices in New York will be closed on Monday, 29 October 2012. All meetings at Headquarters have been cancelled. The closure may be extended to Tuesday, 30 October 2012. 8.05pm GMT Mayor Michael Bloomberg is back with an update: "If you live in Zone A and have not yet evacuated, it's crucial that you do so as soon as possible... I can't stress enough that this is for your own safety. He encourages people to go to shelters using public transportation as there's no parking. Which he then notes won't be possible for long since public transportation is shutting down -- trains at 7pm, buses at 9pm. Special buses are carrying people from NYC Housing Authority residences in the evac zone, Bloomberg says. Elevators and power in NYCHA buildings in the evac zone will be shut off, he says. That's a lot of people facing a big ordeal. Cruise ships have been diverted from NYC. Outdoor filming permits have been rescinded. All public libraries will be closed.

In response to a reporter's question, the mayor says Rikers Island prison is on elevated ground and there's no need to evacuate prisoners. No one will escape Rikers, he says. He says there's no plans to close any bridges and tunnels at the moment. Bloomberg says high tide in the New York area falls at midnight tonight, then every 12 hours. He says that there are no plans to expand the evacuation zone because the prediction for maximum storm surge has not changed. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg with an update on Hurricane Sandy. Photograph: NYC Gov Updated at 8.21pm GMT 7.44pm GMT The NASA Earth Observatory takes a picture of Sandy. That tiny line at lower left represents 100 kilometers. Huge storm. A NASA Earth Observatory image of Sandy from Sunday. Photograph: NASA Updated 7.23pm GMT Amtrak cancels Monday trains Amtrak has now cancelled all Northeast Corridor service for Monday. Montgomery County in Maryland has declared a state of emergency. Fairfax County in Virginia has cancelled school tomorrow. Amtrak (@Amtrak) Hurricane Sandy's path in the 2pm NHC update.

The projected path of Hurricane Sandy in the National Hurricane Center's 2pm advisory. Photograph: NHC Updated at 7.15pm GMT 6.48pm GMT Matt Wells talks with shoppers jockeying for pantry-fillers at Whole Foods in Manhattan. Not everyone foresees the onset of the apocalypse: Grace Lin, who lives just outside the evacuation zone ordered by the mayor said she was taking in friends from nearby. "There will be four adults and four children, and we are two adults and two children, so it's going to be pretty cosy," she said. Residents of the area had made similar preparations for Irene. But Lin said this storm appeared to be worse and that she had particular concerns about power outages. "People are taking it more seriously than last time. The biggest issue for our friends is the elevators not working, not the flooding." Others in lower Manhattan, however, were determined to stay put. Kevin Heeney, 28, was stocking up with bottled water, but had no plans to move out: "We're going to stick it out," he said.

Emerging from Whole Foods laden with bags of groceries, Danny and Laura Fletcher, a British couple who had just moved to the city, were scepical of the reaction of New Yorkers. "We've just bought a big roast lunch," said Danny Fletcher. "I don't think it's going to be that bad. But it's panic stations in there," he said. Updated 4.59pm GMT Guardian correspondent Dominic Rushe reports on the semi-scramble to buy food in NYC: There are huge lines at the Key Food in fashionable Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as residents stock up on food, beer and by cereal. Holding a single basket filled with peanut butter, bread, jelly, granola, pasta and hummus, Jordan Breighner admits this is the most food he can remember buying in one go. “Thankfully I am not on the first floor,” he says. Breighner was here for hurricane Irene, which didn’t really hit New York City, and said he was concerned people might not take this storm seriously. “I’m not panicking but I’m prepared.” Others seemed to be setting up for a long-haul. Two 20-something women were buying two 16-roll packs of toilet tissue.

“I haven’t done any shopping for a while,” she said, looking embarrassed. “I wonder if she bought a lot of coffee too,” quips another shopper. An unscientific survey of people’s baskets suggests if the worse happens, locals will be living on beer, cereal and hummus for some days to come. 4.50pm GMT Summary • Officials warn that Hurricane Sandy has the potential to wreak life-threatening destruction. The storm is expected to create gale-force winds along the mid-Atlantic coast beginning Monday morning and make landfall with possibly hurricane-force winds later that day, causing extensive flooding. See the storm tracker . • New York City has declared a mandatory evacuation for residents of zone A, an estimated 375,000 people. Public transportation in the city will be suspended at 7pm today (with buses running until 9pm). Public schools will be closed Monday, although city offices will be open. • Flooding represents a major threat. The storm surge along the coast could reach as high as 8 feet, and as high as 11 feet in the New York area. Forecasters expect 4-8 inches of rain with isolated maximum rainfall of 12 inches in some areas.

Flooding is a threat both inland and on the coast. • Power outages: While Sandy does not boast especially strong winds – sustained maximum winds of 75mph currently – the storm is expected to retain its substantial strength as it makes landfall. A Johns Hopkins model shows 10 million potentially losing power. • For your local weather forecast including any storm warnings or watches for your area, visit and enter your zip code. 4.18pm GMT Jason Samenow of the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang collects seven maps showing the size and threatening nature of Sandy. The maps analyze potential wind, flooding and precipitation damage as well as other damage. One model from Johns Hopkins predicts that as many as 10 million could lose power along the eastern seaboard. West Virginia could see multiple feet of snow. New York City could see a 10-foot storm surge. Maps and analysis here . 3.30pm GMT Sandy's storm surge threat Forecasters say Sandy presents a greater-than-usual storm surge threat. Dr.

Jeff Masters at wunderground.com, as some have pointed out in the comments, says "the destructive potential of the storm surge [is] exceptionally high," and he sees a 50% chance that the NYC subway could partially flood. On the bright side, the storm is expected to make a relatively quick approach, and so it will not push a surge through multiple tide cycles. Here's Masters: Last night's 9:30 pm EDT H*Wind analysis from NOAA's Hurricane Research Division put the destructive potential of Sandy's winds at a modest 2.6 on a scale of 0 to 6. However, the destructive potential of the storm surge was exceptionally high: 5.7 on a scale of 0 to 6. This is a higher destructive potential than any hurricane observed between 1969 - 2005, including Category 5 storms like Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Camille, and Andrew. The previous highest destructive potential for storm surge was 5.6 on a scale of 0 to 6, set during Hurricane Isabel of 2003.

Sandy is now forecast to bring a near-record storm surge of 6 - 11 feet to Northern New Jersey and Long Island Sound, including the New York City Harbor. While Sandy's storm surge will be nowhere near as destructive as Katrina's, the storm surge does have the potential to cause many billions of dollars in damage if it hits near high tide at 9 pm EDT on Monday. The full moon is on Monday, which means astronomical high tide will be about 5% higher than the average high tide for the month. This will add another 2 - 3" to water levels. Fortunately, Sandy is now predicted to make a fairly rapid approach to the coast, meaning that the peak storm surge will not affect the coast for multiple high tide cycles. Sandy's storm surge will be capable of overtopping the flood walls in Manhattan, which are only five feet above mean sea level. On August 28, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene brought a storm surge of 4.13' to Battery Park on the south side of Manhattan. The waters poured over the flood walls into Lower Manhattan, but came 8 - 12" shy of being able to flood the New York City subway system.

According to the latest storm surge forecast for NYC from NHC, Sandy's storm surge is expected to be several feet higher than Irene's. If the peak surge arrives near Monday evening's high tide at 9 pm EDT, a portion of New York City's subway system could flood, resulting in billions of dollars in damage. I give a 50% chance that Sandy's storm surge will end up flooding a portion of the New York City subway system. 2.42pm GMT Subway, bus service suspension in New York to begin 7pm Sunday Subway and bus service will be suspended in New York City beginning at 7pm Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced. Service was expected to be restored about 12 hours after the storm ends, Metro Transit Authority Chairman Joseph J. Lhota said . That could mean that service will be suspended until Wednesday. Authorities said the service suspension was a precaution because it is dangerous to operate trains in high winds. City residents were encouraged to make plans to stay close to home during the storm. 2.12pm GMT For your local weather forecast including any storm warnings or watches for your area, visit and enter your zip code. Twitter is a great resource for Sandy-related info.

Three curated lists of experts tweeting about Sandy are here: Capitol Weather Watchers , FEMA , and Matthew Keys' Severe Weather List . Updated at 2.24pm GMT 2.02pm GMT WNYC has created a Sandy Tracker. The National Hurricane Center has a wealth of tracking maps here , including wind forecasts and flooding forecasts. To get the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center, go to the advisories page and look for "Public Advisory" or "Aviso Publico." The latest 8am Sunday advisory is #24A. The next advisory is scheduled to be published at 11am ET. 1.44pm GMT We're tracking Hurricane Sandy this morning and will be bringing you updates throughout the day. The storm is currently off the North Carolina coast moving slowly northeast. It is expected to turn landward on Monday. Here's a summary of where things stand: • Sandy, currently a category 1 hurricane, is expected to make landfall late Monday or very early Tuesday on the mid-Atlantic coast, anywhere from Virginia to Connecticut/Rhode Island. The storm has a 20-30% chance of arriving on land with hurricane-force winds.

It has a near-90% chance of landing with tropical storm-force winds, meaning sustained winds of up to 73mph . The projected course of Hurricane Sandy as of 8am Sunday, by the National Hurricane Center. Photograph: NHC • Life-threatening storm surge – meaning elevated water – is expected, according to the National Hurricane Center. Water could surge 6-11 feet in the New York area and 4-8 feet elsewhere. Rain and the tides could exacerbate flooding. The full moon is Monday. • Extensive power outages are expected. Rainfall could cause significant inland flooding. • The storm killed at least 66 people as it made its way through the Caribbean islands, including 51 in Haiti, mostly from flash flooding and mudslides, according to authorities (–Reuters). • Governors in states along the east coast declared emergencies, with officials urging residents to stock up on food, water and batteries. President Obama has cancelled campaign appearances in Virginia and Colorado due to the storm. • Fema's checklist of what to do before a hurricane hits is here. A map of flood and evacuation zones in the New York City area is here .

We'll bring you emergency preparation information for communities throughout the affected area as the day goes on. Updated How Will Joaquin Compare to Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Isabel? How Will Joaquin Compare to Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Isabel? By By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist. October 02, 2015, 4:45:26 PM EDT Questions have been raised about the similarity to Joaquin with other recent hurricane strikes in the mid-Atlantic states. Easy to say Joaquin is no Sandy, doesn't compare, etc. Hearing much of this with little substance behind the comments. Tell me why! #Joaquin — Dominic Ramunni (@WxDom) September 29, 2015 "There is going to be catastrophic flooding from North Carolina to Massachusetts, and this is going to disrupt the economy regardless of whether or not Hurricane Joaquin makes landfall," Mike Smith, senior vice president and chief innovation executive of AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions said. No matter how similar the pattern may seem, no two storms are ever exactly alike.

The same can be said about the situation developing this weekend along the Atlantic coast with the approach of Joaquin. A slightly different storm track and the position of other weather systems nearby can translate to huge differences in the weather that occurs at a particular location. The angle and strength of the storm's approach compared to geography and whether or not the storm is strengthening or weaken at landfall can be huge factors in the severity of the weather that occurs. While Joaquin is not expected to make landfall along the U.S. East Coast, it will still deliver beach erosion, coastal flooding, inland flooding from heavy rain and stiff winds near the coast. These impacts can be felt far away from the center of the storm. Residents and interests from the Carolinas to New Jersey, the New York City area, Cape Cod and as far inland as Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia should keep a close eye on Joaquin. For the number of people now living along the mid-Atlantic coast that did not experience Sandy or Isabel, this storm could deliver rough weather. In both Sandy and Isabel, gusty winds and flooding occurred well away from the center of the storms.

Hurricane Joaquin to Hammer Mid-Atlantic With Flooding RELATED: NYC: Flooding Risk to Escalate Into Next Week Superstorm Sandy In October 2012, Sandy originated from the western Caribbean and paralleled the southern Atlantic coast into Oct. 28, before making the abrupt left turn toward the New Jersey coast. Areas from coastal central New Jersey to Long Island and the New York City area, which were located just north of Sandy's landfall, experienced the worst coastal flooding and damaging winds. High pressure to the north helped to funnel winds in from the east and direct Sandy westward. The shape of the coast of northern New Jersey and Long Island helped to funnel the Atlantic Ocean water. Sandy was the second costliest hurricane in United States history with damage at $75 billion. More than 200 people lost their lives from the Caribbean through the U.S. Hurricane Isabel In September 2003, Isabel originated from off the west coast of Africa and took a direct northwestward path from just northeast of the Bahamas and into eastern North Carolina. This path flung the strongest winds over the Chesapeake Bay region.

In addition to heavy rain, Atlantic Ocean and bay waters were funneled up the Chesapeake Bay, which resulted in substantial damage. The increasing forward speed of Isabel helped to maintain strong wind gusts well inland. Isabel resulted in approximately 16 direct fatalities, more than 30 indirect deaths and caused $5.4 billion in damage. Prepare Now Regardless of Similarities, Differences While there will be no Tropical Storm Henri arriving ahead of Joaquin, unlike in 2003, there has been heavy rainfall prior to Joaquin this time. The impact from Joaquin will be felt for millions along the East Coast despite the latest forecast which spares the region from a landfall. Impacts still include the potential for flooding, downed trees, property damage and power outages. Areas from northeastern North Carolina to New York City, including the Delaware and Chesapeake bay regions will especially monitor Joaquin's track and intensity through this weekend. In terms of loss of life or injury, be sure to heed warnings and orders as soon as they are issued. Protect property by moving items out of harms way to higher floors or a safe location inland, ahead of the storm.

Hurricane Arthur Makes East Coast Landfall, 44,000 Without Power - NBC News Jul 4 2014, 10:14 am ET Hurricane Arthur Makes East Coast Landfall, 44,000 Without Power by Alexander Smith Strong winds and heavy surf cover Highway 64 at the Albemarle Sound on July 3, 2014 in Nags Head, North Carolina. Hurricane Arthur hit North Carolina's Outer Banks overnight causing widespread power outages. Mark Wilson / Getty Images Share advertisement More than 40,000 people were without power at the start of the July Fourth holiday after Hurricane Arthur scythed through North Carolina's Outer Banks early Friday. Thousands more had already fled in preparation for the Category 2 storm , which has seen maximum sustained wind speeds of 100 miles per hour, lashings of rain and a storm surge of up to five feet. Arthur is not only the first hurricane this season, but also the first to hit the United States since Sandy caused $70 billion damage across New Jersey and New York in October 2012.

The storm crossed the coast at Cape Lookout on the southern end of the Outer Banks at 11:15 p.m. Thursday, but by 4:30 a.m. the eye was back out over the Atlantic. The storm was downgraded later Friday to a Category 1, with top winds of 90 mph. Play Hurricane Arthur now a Category 2 3:36 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog <iframe src="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> "Although there has been heavy rain and high winds, the saving grace is that is moving quite quickly back out over the ocean, at 21-22 miles per hour," Roy Lucksinger, principal meteorologist at The Weather Channel said. "It's a real shame for the people vacationing in the Outer Banks, but people on the mainland have not been hit as hard and by Friday afternoon they should even see some sunshine." — Sam Walker (@SamWalkerOBX) July 4, 2014 Gov. Pat McCrory said that about 44,000 people had been left without power in the wake of the storm.

The worst-affected firm, Duke Energy, said it had more than 500 staff working on the ground to get their customers back online. Holiday beach-goers on North Carolina's low-lying barrier islands also had their plans disrupted. According to a report by the Reuters news agency, tourists and some residents packed ferries and crowded the only highway off Ocracoke and Hatteras islands, where voluntary and mandatory evacuations were in effect. Hurricane #Arthur has grown an eye since we last met. pic.twitter.com/HBJoDrcNxQ — Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) July 3, 2014 Ferry service between some islands was suspended on Thursday afternoon as conditions began to deteriorate, with 22-foot waves reported offshore and heavy rain and wind gusts reported along the coast, the news agency said. Little waves on Highway 12 in yes.... Waves, NC pic.twitter.com/ekxMVIRECL — Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) July 4, 2014 Further north, the National Weather Service issued tropical storm warnings for Nantucket Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.

While not in line for a direct hit, these ares could see some of the storm's side effects as it passes by. Arthur was projected to calm down as it hit colder waters, and it was not expected to make landfall again until it hits Nova Scotia on Saturday. Play Copy this code to your website or blog <iframe src="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> New York, New Jersey and Delaware were not in the storm's path, but Lucksinger said it could react with another weather front and bring lashings more rain to that region. Even the areas not affected by the hurricane’s strong winds and heavy rain may still be under rip current alerts, which have been issued all along the Eastern Seaboard, from Maine to Florida. Rip currents, which pull swimmers away from the shore, are responsible for 80 percent of surf rescues. Arthur also put a damper on Fourth of July celebrations even before making landfall. Boston moved its holiday Pops concert to Thursday. Atlantic City, New Jersey, rescheduled its fireworks display for Sunday.

Coastline cities in North Carolina, such as Surf City and Nags Head, either canceled or postponed their scheduled events. Play

Question: At the end of October 2012, New York and the east coast of America were battered by which hurricane?
Answer: Sandy