Flooding in front of student dorms at Old Dominion Universit
The tide is starting to go down, but when Hurricane Sandy makes landfall tonight, officials expecting flooding to become far worse, the city police department said.
[Updated 11:41 a.m. ET] More than 35,500 customers of United Illuminating in Bridgeport, Connecticut, will lose power around noon when a power station will be compromised by floodwaters, CNN affiliate WFSB reports.
[Updated 11:32 a.m. ET] President Obama will deliver a statement after his White House Situation Room briefing on Hurricane Sandy at 12:45 p.m. ET, according to a release from the White House.
[Updated 11:28 a.m. ET] The Delaware Emergency Management Agency calls this “a pretty vivid visual example of why you should not be venturing out on the roads in Delaware" durring Hurricane Sandy. Level 2 driving restrictions are in place in the state.
The agency posted the photo on its official Facebook page.
A flooded Delaware road Monday morning.
Connecticut is banning trucks from highways, Gov. Dan Malloy announced. Highways will also be closed to all vehicles beginning at 1 p.m. “Wind gusts will soon exceed 50 mph; travel is dangerous,” he said on Twitter.
[Updated 11:10 a.m.] Power officials were reporting nearly 45,000 customers without electricity across 10 states on Monday morning.
[Updated 11:07 a.m.] Hurricane Sandy has begun flooding areas of Norfolk, Virginia. This video was posted on YouTube.
[Updated 10:57 a.m.] See NASA's 3D image of Hurricane Sandy:
Airlines have canceled thousands of flights ahead of Hurricane Sandy, and stranded travelers shouldn't expect any relief until the weekend, CNNMoney reports. [Updated 10:51 a.m.] NASA will be providing live views of Hurricane Sandy from space.
[Time Correction] Live views of Hurricane Sandy from the coming up on NASA TV at 12:45PM ET. Watch live: nasa.gov/ntv
The losses can’t yet be calculated, but will include billions in property damage, lost business, lost stock market trades, and more.
[Update 10:46 a.m. ET] If you're in the storm's path, the Department of Homeland Security wants you to take steps to conserve your cellphone's power.
[Update 10:38 a.m. ET] To prepare for the possibility of flooding, New York officials are closing two tunnels into Manhattan and calling for the deployment of 1,000 additional National Guard troops, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
The Holland Tunnel and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel are “prone to flood” and will close at 2 p.m. Monday, Cuomo said.
[Update 10:33 a.m. ET] The city of Hoboken, New Jersey, is prohibiting the use of personal vehicles after 4 p.m. ET, CNN affliate WABC reports. The station also says streets near the Atlantic City boardwalk are beginning to flood and tidal waters are crossing the main oceanfront road in Cape May, New Jersey.
[Update 10:28 a.m. ET] Chase and Citibank are waiving overdraft, ATM and late fees for customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Time.com reports.
[Update 10:15 a.m. ET] All public transportation services in Boston will be suspended at 2 p.m. Monday.
[Update 10:06 a.m. ET] The Connecticut Department of Transportation has ordered the closure of all state highways as of 1 p.m. ET.
[Update 10:02 a.m. ET] Flooding begins in Manhattan:
East River, much more subdued than Hudson today, begins cresting over Pier11, east side of Manhattan
[Update 9:51 a.m. ET] Power officials now say Hurricane Sandy could affect 60 million people across the eastern U.S., an increase of 10 million from what was forecast on Sunday.
[Update 9:27 a.m. ET] Early flooding in the Philadelphia area:
[Update 9:21 a.m. ET] The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued 14 people from the tall ship HMS Bounty, but two are missing, a Coast Guard official tells CNN. The ship was without propulsion and taking on water off North Carolina.
[Update 9:15 a.m. ET] NASA captured an infrared image of what Sandy looked like overnight as it moved up the East Coast.
[Update 9:07 a.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy has shut down concerts in the New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia area, MTV reports.
[Update 9:02 a.m. ET] Flooding has begun in Ventnor City, New Jersey, about 60 miles southeast of Philadelphia.
[Update 8:39 a.m. ET] The storm is apparently breaking up parts of the Atlantic City boardwalk.
[Update 8:32 a.m. ET] Forecasters expect Hurricane Sandy to slow down after the center of the storm makes landfall late Monday or early Tuesday. And Richard Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, said he’s “really concerned.”
“Because of the combination of that and the large size, this will be a long duration event for many people along the coast and inland, and a lot of life-threatening hazards here,” he said.
Powerful winds, heavy rainfall and flooding are likely.
“This is going to be a big problem for a lot of folks,” he said.
Virginia's Department of Emergency Management is warning of blizzard conditions in two counties until Wednesday.
[Update 8:07 a.m. ET] Officials in New York City are keeping a close eye on how high the seawater is rising, Con Edison spokesman Alfonso Quiroz said.
Since many of the city’s electrical cables are underground, flooding could cause significant damage.
“If the water gets too high, we will preemptively shut down some pieces of equipment…because it is easier for us to make restoration once the water goes down,” Quiroz said.
[Update 8:05 a.m. ET] The Coast Guard says the weather is preventing it from launching a rescue operation for the crew of the 180-foot, three mast tall ship HMS Bounty, which was taking on water and without propulsion in the Atlantic off North Carolina. The 17-person crew is in two lifeboats and wearing cold-water survival suits, the Coast Guard says. See the report from CNN affiliate WTKR.
[Update 7:58 a.m. ET] The National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. ET update shows no changes in Hurricane Sandy since the 5 a.m. ET update.
"Sandy now moving north-northwestward and accelerating...expected to bring life-threatening storm surge and coastal hurricane winds plus heavy Appalachian snows," the forecast advisory said.
Sandy's maximum sustained winds remain at 85 mph. It is a Category 1 hurricane.
[Update 7:51 a.m. ET] The dangers from this storm extend far from the East Coast. The National Weather Service says wave heights could reach 28 feet in Lake Michigan on Monday night. They could hit 31 feet on Tuesday.
[Update 7:40 a.m. ET] U.S. stock exchanges will be closed Monday as Hurricane Sandy bears down on New York. Read the CNNMoney report here.
[Update 7:34 a.m. ET] Delaware Gov. Jack Markell called on residents to follow the state’s driving restrictions, which went into effect Monday morning as Sandy approached.
“The biggest concerns, the rain and the wind together make driving conditions absolutely miserable so we put in a driving restriction today,” he told CNN.
The restrictions say that only essential personnel can drive as of 5 a.m. Monday.
He also said people could be without power “for some period of time” after the storm and that “those who did not (evacuate), we’re afraid may find themselves cut off.”
[Update 7:22 a.m. ET] The 17-member crew of the tall ship HMS Bounty has abandoned the vessel in the Atlantic Ocean 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina, CNN affiliate WTKR reports.
[Update 7:19 a.m. ET] Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker just told CNN's Soledad O'Brien:
[Update 7:13 a.m. ET] President Obama has canceled a campaign event in Orlando on Monday to stay at the White House and monitor federal storm preparations."My biggest concern is just people not taking it seriously and not taking the proper precautions. We still have some time for people to get ready... We anticipate there could be many days without power afterward."
"Due to deteriorating weather conditions in the Washington area, the president will not attend today's campaign event in Orlando. The president will return to the White House to monitor the preparations for and early response to Hurricane Sandy," White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.
Read CNN's Candy Crowley on how Hurricane Sandy is affecting the presidential campaign.
[Update 7:04 a.m. ET] Some people have not heeded evacuation orders and are putting emergency responders in rescue situations, Delaware's governor says.
Ntl. Guard, local fire comp. & police are responding to people who didn’t evacuate & need to be rescued from flooding.
[Update 6:25 a.m. ET] Delaware's governor has ordered all drivers other than those providing essential services to stay off the state's roads today, CNN affliate WBOC reports.
[Update 5:59 a.m. ET] MegaBus has canceled numerous services in the Northeast through noon on Tuesday and is offering customers booked on other trips through Tuesday in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia the chance to reschedule at no charge. Here is the full list of cancellations.
[Update 5:50 a.m. ET] Amtrak has suspended nearly all service on the Eastern Seaboard for Monday, according to its website:
"All Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone and Shuttle services are canceled for trains originating on that date. Also Empire Service, Adirondack, Vermonter, Ethan Allen and Pennsylvanian train services are suspended, along with the overnight Auto Train, Capitol Limited, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto and Silver Meteor trains.Further updates on Amtrak service will come after 6 p.m. Monday or as needed, the website said.
Exceptions: The Maple Leaf (Trains 63 & 64), will operate only between Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y., rather than originating and terminating at New York City; the Carolinian (Trains 79 & 80), will operate only between Charlotte and Raleigh rather than originating and terminating in New York City; the Silver Star (Trains 91 & 92) will operate only between Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami, Fla., rather than originating and terminating in New York City. Piedmont service (Trains 73-76) within North Carolina will operate normally."
[Update 5:36 a.m. ET] As Hurricane Sandy closes in on the Northeast, residents are scrambling to prepare. Amy Mueller Campbell told CNN affiliate WMUR she had to drive almost 30 miles - from Nottingham, New Hampshire, to Manchester, New Hampshire - just to find a five-gallon gasoline container. She'll use it to get fuel to power her home generator.
[Update 5:13 a.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy is playing havoc with international air travel. London's Heathrow Airport says 45 outbound flights to New York, Newark, Baltimore, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia have been canceled. Another 12 inbound flights have been scrubbed.
[Update 5:12 a.m. ET] The National Hurricane Center says "a little strengthening is possible" before Hurricane Sandy makes landfall late Monday or early Tuesday.
[Update 5:05 a.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy strengthened early Monday with winds of 85 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
[Update 4:49 a.m. ET] Anna Kate Twitty, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, was just on CNN and said the organization has multiple shelters across seven states where evacuees can find "a safe place, a warm meal and emotional support." To find a shelter, go to redcross.org, call 1-800-Red-Cross or download the free Red Cross hurricane app for iphone and android users.
[Update 3:54 a.m. ET] The Coast Guard is responding to a distress call from a ship that is part of the popular culture. The HMS Bounty, a tall ship built for the 1962 movie "Mutiny on the Bounty," is taking on water off the coast of North Carolina - about 160 miles from the center of Hurricane Sandy. The Coast Guard says it has “diminished search and rescue capabilities due to the storm.” Seventeen people are on board.
[Update 1:55 a.m. ET] Various
primetime shows that are produced in New York (such as, "30 Rock,"
"Smash," "Elementary," "Person of Interest") are being shut down Monday,
according to Deadline.com, but
the opposite appears to be the case with late night shows. Deadline
says Letterman, who once taped a show during a blizzard, will go on - as
will Jimmy Fallon.We will be doing a new show tomorrow night no matter what
[Update 12:50 a.m. ET] The National Hurricane Center says Sandy is about to make its turn toward the north. The forecast map shows the storm hitting the Jersey shore.
[Update 12:35 a.m. ET] 1.2 million: That's the number of college students who will stay home Monday, according to a count by CNN's Chandler Friedman of colleges in the regions likely affected by the storm.
[Update 12:10 a.m. ET] President Barack Obama has approved Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey's request for emergency declarations. Earlier, several other states also requested such declarations, and the president signed them as well. Among them: New York and Massachusetts.
Read Sunday's updates
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