Sandy slams U.S. east coast with hurricane force

Millions of people are without power in the U.S. northeast as the powerful post-tropical storm Sandy pummels the region with hurricane-force winds, rain, and a dangerous storm surge that has caused flooding in many coastal areas .....

Sydney, Australia (prHWY.com) October 30, 2012 - Millions of people are without power in the U.S. northeast as the powerful post-tropical storm Sandy pummels the region with hurricane-force winds, rain, and a dangerous storm surge that has caused flooding in many coastal areas -- including parts of New York City.

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Sandy has caused mass disruption in coastal communities and beyond, as thousands of flights were cancelled, trains disrupted, roads closed and schools and offices shut down as the storm approached.

The storm was tracking inland around 11 p.m. ET, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, but maximum sustained winds were still strong, clocking in around 120 km/h.

"On the forecast track, the centre of Sandy is expected to move across Pennsylvania during the next day or so ... then move into western New York Tuesday night," the Miami-based centre said in a statement.

At least 10 deaths in five states have been blamed on the storm, The Associated Press reported. A woman was also killed in Canada, when she was struck by flying debris in Toronto amid gusting winds.

"Do not go outside. Conditions are extremely dangerous," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Twitter as the storm lashed the city Monday night. "Please stay where you are until the storm passes."

He urged people to stay off the roads and leave them clear for emergency workers, who have been dealing with an onslaught of 911 calls.

"There are about 60 blocks in Manhattan now totally without power," CBC's David Common said from New York City late Monday night. "We understand that exists not only across New York City, but right up and down the northeast coast -- huge numbers of people without power."

New York University hospital was struck by a power outage after losing backup power, the mayor said, noting that the city is working with the hospital to try to move people out.

Media reports suggest as many as three million customers in the U.S. may be without electricity as Sandy downs lines and disrupts the distribution of power.

Storm surge

Ahead of the storm, people were urged to brace for a powerful storm surge, and officials cautioned people to stay away from beaches, boardwalks and coastal roads as Sandy neared.

A record four-metre surge of seawater pushed floodwater into Lower Manhattan and parts of the financial district, AP reported.

"The West Side Highway is no longer a highway -- it's a river with a current," Common said, and water was also seen running along roads in Queens, Brooklyn and beyond.

Water began pooling in rail yards and on highways near the Hudson River waterfront on Manhattan's far west side. On coastal Long Island, floodwaters swamped cars, downed trees and put neighbourhoods under water as beachfronts and fishing villages bore the brunt of the storm.

Before the storm moved in, thousands of people in low-lying areas had been urged to leave. Those who stayed in New York had few ways to get out. New York's subways, which serve five million people a day, were shut down. The Holland Tunnel connecting New York to New Jersey was closed, as was a tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the city shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and several other spans because of high winds.

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Categories: Weather

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