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Monday, October 29, 2012

Shuddering houses, falling limbs evoke storm fears

Posted by Quas Bin Hitler

A pedestrian walks across a New York street where the power was out late Monday, October 29. The storm surge set records in Lower Manhattan, where flooded substations caused a widespread power outage. <a href='http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/25/americas/gallery/weather-sandy/index.html'>See more photos of Sandy's destructive path.</a> A pedestrian walks across a New York street where the power was out late Monday, October 29. The storm surge set records in Lower Manhattan, where flooded substations caused a widespread power outage.
Beyond the driving rain, howling wind, closed schools and canceled flights, Hurricane Sandy evoked fear among East Coast residents battered by other storms in recent years.
People hunkered down in homes and shelters with emergency kits at the ready Monday, unsure of what will happen when the huge storm reaches shore from Maryland to Connecticut and collides with a cold front over New England.
Memories of last year's Hurricane Irene, with flooding and falling trees that killed unsuspecting victims, further unnerved longtime coastal residents who watched storm surges top sea walls and wipe out docks in the hours before the full brunt of Sandy was due to hit.
A shuddering house and snapping tree limbs told Joseph Braha all he needed to know about what was coming.
"It's a real extreme event that's going to take place," the 36-year-old Braha said by phone from Asbury Park, New Jersey, where he and his wife and three daughters sat in the living room, "hoping and praying for the best."

Watch the evolution of the superstorm

See damage inside cruise ship from Sandy

Kite boarders take on Hurricane Sandy

Raw video: Long Island flooding
The girls -- a 7-year-old and 3-year-old twins -- were "not too happy" but were handling it pretty well so far, he said, describing a scene right out of "Key Largo" and other films that depict waiting out a hurricane.
"There's a lot of wind that is shaking the house," Braha said. "I'm hearing some crackling in the trees as well. I've seen some branches falling down."
Supplies including flashlights and packed travel bags are ready, as are sandbags and life jackets in case the ocean two blocks away rises even further.
"The jetties are completely invisible," Braha said of the waterfront. "No one's even attempting to head down to the water. It's just too dangerous."
At Baltimore-Washington International airport, newlyweds Jessie and Nicholas Lasko of Mount Airy, Maryland, huddled in a corner of an eerily silent terminal, their flight to a Jamaican honeymoon canceled -- along with thousands of others due to Sandy.
They just didn't think the storm they heard about on the news would disrupt their plans -- a Sunday night wedding followed by an early drive to catch their plane, the couple said.
"We were supposed to be on a plane right now on our way to Jamaica," new Mrs. Lasko said. "We're sad. Guess we'll have to reschedule."
Amtrak canceled all train service on its busy Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston through Tuesday, and the city of Baltimore restricted driving to emergency vehicles and other authorized users on Monday night until at least 12 noon on Tuesday.
More than 3,200 people spent Sunday night in 112 American Red Cross shelters in nine states -- New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Massachusetts. Officials said they expected that number to increase on Monday night.
In New York City, CNN iReporter Noah Garden watched rising water levels at his summer home in Ventnor, New Jersey, through a live video feed from his home security camera mounted on the backyard deck.
"My neighbor's deck is submerged under water," said Garden, 41, explaining what that means to the attached boat docks that rise with the water levels. "I am assuming tonight the docks are going to go."
Garden also knew that the storm could easily knock out power at his New York residence, which would end his long-distance viewing of the damage in Ventnor.
In Sea Bright, New Jersey, Yvette Cafaro scrawled a plea on the plywood that covered her burger restaurant: "Be kind to us Sandy."
The seaside area largely dodged Hurricane Irene, and Cafaro was hoping for another reprieve, but not optimistic.
"Everything that we've been watching on the news looks like this one will really get us," she said. "We're definitely worried about it."
Others were less concerned.
On Coney Island in the New York borough of Brooklyn, iReporter Kim Lofgren said she would wait out the storm, just like she did last year with Irene.
"It was exciting, but we didn't have any damage. I know this is going to be a lot worse," said the 30-year-old Lofgren, who acknowledged that others didn't share her sense of adventure.
"Around me, it's always a mix," Lofgren said. "There are people who panic and evacuate and there are people who have been by the ocean for a long time and they're unfazed by it."

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Sandy wreaks havoc across Northeast; at least 11 dead

Posted by Quas Bin Hitler
Taxis drive down a New York street where the power was out late Monday, October 29. The storm surge from Sandy set records in lower Manhattan, where flooded substations caused a widespread power outage. <a href='http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/us/gallery/ny-braces-sandy/index.html'>View photos of New York bracing for impact.</a> Taxis drive down a New York street where the power was out late Monday, October 29. The storm surge from Sandy set records in lower Manhattan, where flooded substations caused a widespread power outage. View photos of New York bracing for impact.

(CNN) -- Though no longer a hurricane, "post-tropical" superstorm Sandy packed a hurricane-sized punch as it slammed into the Jersey Shore on Monday, killing at least 11 people from West Virginia to North Carolina and Connecticut.
Sandy whipped torrents of water over the streets of Atlantic City, stretching for blocks inland and ripping up part of the vacation spot's fabled boardwalk. The storm surge set records in Lower Manhattan, where flooded substations caused a widespread power outage. It swamped beachfronts on both sides of Long Island Sound and delivered hurricane-force winds from Virginia to Cape Cod as it came ashore.
Sandy's wrath also prompted the evacuation of about 200 patients at NYU Langone Medical Center.
"We are having intermittent telephone access issues, and for this reason the receiving hospital will notify the families of their arrival," spokeswoman Lisa Greiner said.
In addition, the basement of New York's Bellevue Hospital Center flooded, and the hospital was running off of emergency backup power. Ian Michaels of the Office of Emergency Management said the main priority is to help secure additional power and obtain additional fuel and pumps for the hospital.
The storm hit near Atlantic City about 8 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center reported. It packed 80-mph winds at landfall, down from the 90 mph clocked earlier Monday.
Superstorm Sandy's wrath
"I've been down here for about 16 years, and it's shocking what I'm looking at now. It's unbelievable," said Montgomery Dahm, owner of the Tun Tavern in Atlantic City, which stayed open as Sandy neared the Jersey Shore. "I mean, there's cars that are just completely underwater in some of the places I would never believe that there would be water."
Dahm's family cleared out of Atlantic City before the storm hit, but he says he stayed put to serve emergency personnel. At nightfall Monday, he said the water was lapping at the steps of his restaurant, where a generator was keeping the lights on.
Sandy makes landfall
Ray Kelly: We're concerned with flooding
Sandy sends waves crashing in New York
Blizzard conditions hit Appalachians
The storm had already knocked down power lines and tree limbs while still 50 miles offshore and washed out a section of the boardwalk on the north end of town, Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford told CNN. He said there were still "too many people" who didn't heed instructions to evacuate, and he urged anyone still in town to "hunker down and try to wait this thing out."
"When Mother Nature sends her wrath your way, we're at her mercy, and so all we can do is stay prayerful and do the best that we can," Langford said.
And in Seaside Heights, about 30 miles north of Atlantic City, Police Chief Thomas Boyd told CNN, "The whole north side of my town is totally under water."
In New York, lower Manhattan's Battery Park recorded nearly 14-foot tide, smashing a record set by 1960's Hurricane Donna by more than 3 feet. The city had already halted service on its bus and train lines, closing schools and ordering about 400,000 people out of their homes in low-lying areas of Manhattan and elsewhere.
Flooding forced the closure of all three of the major airports in the area, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty. Water seeped into subway stations in Lower Manhattan and into the tunnel connecting Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, while high winds damaged a crane perched atop a Midtown skyscraper under construction, forcing authorities to evacuate the surrounding area.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters there was an "extraordinary" amount of water in Lower Manhattan, as well as downed trees throughout the city and widespread power outages.
"We knew that this was going to be a very dangerous storm, and the storm has met our expectations," he said. "The worst of the weather has come, and city certainly is feeling the impacts."
The storm was blamed for more than 2.8 million outages across the Northeast. About 350,000 of them were in the New York city area, where utility provider Con Edison reported it had also cut power to customers in parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan to protect underground equipment as the storm waters rose.
But as water crept into its substations, Con Ed said it had lost service to about 250,000 customers in Manhattan -- including most of the island south of 39th Street.
Five things to know about Sandy
At least five people had been killed in storm-related incidents in New York state, including three killed by trees falling on homes in Queens and in the town of New Salem, near Albany, city and state officials said. Falling trees were also blamed for three deaths reported in New Jersey and one in Connecticut, authorities there told CNN.
In West Virginia, a woman was killed in a car accident after the storm dumped 5 inches of snow on the town of Davis, said Amy Shuler Goodwin, a spokeswoman for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's office.
Water washes over downtown Atlantic City
Transformer explodes in lower Manhattan
Waves lapping into New Jersey surf club
Wall Street closes for Hurricane Sandy
And before hitting land, it overwhelmed the sailing ship HMS Bounty, a replica of the historic British vessel, off North Carolina. Fourteen of the ship's crew of 16 were rescued, but the body of one deckhand was found Monday evening and the ship's captain was still missing Monday night, the Coast Guard said.
Sandy had already claimed at least 67 lives in the Caribbean, including 51 in Haiti.
Sandy's storm surges were boosted by a full moon, which already brings the highest tides of the month. And forecasters said the storm was likely to collide with a cold front and spawn a superstorm that could generate flash floods and snowstorms.
"It could be bad," said U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Steven Rattior, "or it could be devastation."
Mass transit shut down across the densely populated Northeast, landmarks stood empty and schools and government offices were closed. The National Grid, which provides power to millions of customers, said 60 million people could be affected before it's over.
On Fire Island, off Long Island, the water rose above promenades and docks on Monday afternoon, homeowner Karen Boss said. Boss stayed on the island with her husband despite a mandatory evacuation order. She said they own several properties and a business there and had weathered previous storms.
"I'm concerned that it might come into the first floor," she said. "If that's the case, I'll just move into another house that's higher up."
Based on pressure readings, it's likely to be the strongest storm to make landfall north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said. The benchmark storm, the 1938 "Long Island Express" Hurricane, contained a low pressure reading of 946 millibars; Sandy had a minimum pressure of 943 millibars. Generally speaking, the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm.
In Sea Bright, New Jersey, Yvette Cafaro scrawled a plea on the plywood that covered her burger restaurant: "Be kind to us Sandy." The seaside area largely dodged last year's Hurricane Irene, but Cafaro was not optimistic that Sea Bright would be spared Sandy.

Its arrival, eight days before the U.S. presidential election, forced President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, to alter or cancel several campaign stops. Obama flew back to Washington from Florida, telling reporters at the White House that assets were in place for an effective response to the storm.
"The most important message I have for the public right now is please listen to what your state and local officials are saying," Obama said. "When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate."
And in Ohio, Romney asked supporters to drop off items and cash at his "victory centers" to be donated to victims of the storm.
"There are families in harm's way that will be hurt -- either in their possessions or perhaps in something more severe," Romney said.
Tips from Katrina survivors
By Monday afternoon, 23 states were under a warning or advisory for wind related to Sandy. Thousands of flights had been canceled, and hundreds of roads and highways were expected to flood. And according to a government model, Sandy's wind damage alone could cause more than $7 billion in economic loss.
Sandy was expected to weaken once it moves inland, but the center was expected to move slowly northward, meaning gusty winds and heavy rain would continue through Wednesday.
On the western side of the storm, the mountains of West Virginia expected up to 3 feet of snow and the mountains of southwestern Virginia to the Kentucky state line could see up to 2 feet. Twelve to 18 inches of snow were expected in the mountains near the North Carolina-Tennessee border.
"This is not a typical storm," said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. "Essentially, this is a hurricane wrapped in a 'nor'easter.'"

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Hurricane Sandy intensifies, has 90 mph sustained winds

Posted by Quas Bin Hitler

[Updated 1:48 p.m. ET] Atlantic City, New Jersey, will be under a curfew Monday night, as Hurricane Sandy approaches landfall, a city official told CNN. "There will be a curfew tonight beginning at 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. for the entire Atlantic City area," Capt. Frank Brennan of the Atlantic City Police Department said.
[Updated 1:39 p.m. ET] The New York Stock Exchange will be closed again Tuesday because of Hurricane Sandy, the exchange said.
Track the economic impact of Hurricane Sandy with
[Updated 1:38 p.m. ET] Here's what the winds are doing in Connecticut:
[Updated 1:29 p.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy's devastating windy march up the U.S. East Coast is expected to cause as much as $10 billion in insured losses, according to a disaster modeling firm, CNNMoney reports.
[Updated 1:22 p.m. ET] Sustained tropical storm-force winds of 41 mph are now being reported at Boston's Logan International Airport, the National Weather Service said on Monday afternoon.
[Updated 1:18 p.m. ET] "Jimmy Kimmel Live" has canceled its broadcast on Monday from the Harvey Theater at Brooklyn Academy of Music. In a statement obtained by CNN Entertainment, the show said the call was made "in the interest of the safety of our studio audience."
[Updated 1:15 p.m. ET] President Obama has declared a state of emergency for the state of Delaware due to Hurricane Sandy, according to a release from the White House.
[Updated 1:02 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama called on Americans to heed local storm evacuation orders Monday. Anyone who doesn't follow evacuation orders, he said, is "putting first responders in danger."
[Updated 1:00 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama said Monday he isn't worried about how Hurricane Sandy might affect the election. "I am not worried at this point about the impact on the election. I'm worried about the impact on families. I'm worried about the impact on first responders. I'm worried about the economy and transportation," he told reporters. "The election will take care of itself next week."
[Updated 12:59 p.m. ET] Gas prices are likely to spike in the days after Hurricane Sandy rips through the Northeast, but they should drop back down before too long, CNNMoney reports.
[Updated 12:56 p.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy is a powerful storm that will affect millions of people, President Obama said Monday."We are certain that this is going to be a slow-moving process through a wide swath of the country, and millions of people are going to affected," Obama said, speaking to reporters from the White House after a Situation Room briefing on the storm.
[Updated 12:42 p.m. ET] If your power goes out, don’t try to fix it yourself, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday.
“If you do not have power, please do not choose today as the time you decide to tap into your creative juices and jerry-rig a power source. … If it looks stupid, it is stupid,” he said.
By Monday afternoon, more than 35,000 customers had lost power throughout the state.
[Updated 12:28 p.m. ET] As of noon today, water levels are already as high as 5.2 feet above tidal predictions in some areas.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a look at water levels up and down the eastern seaboard.
[Updated 12:24 p.m. ET] There have been more than 8,900 flight cancellations so far as a result of Hurricane Sandy, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.com. Get CNN.com's full travel update.
[Updated 12:23 p.m. ET] About 116,000 consumers in seven states are without power, according to information from power providers' websites.
[Updated 12:19 p.m. ET] Even with rains from Hurricane Sandy, guards still stand at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.  This photo from last year is being tweeted repeatedly today.
[Updated 12:16 p.m. ET] Ocean City, Maryland, is seeing substantial flooding.
[Updated 12:13 p.m. ET] Both the Obama and Romney campaigns have canceled events through Tuesday because of Hurricane Sandy.
Follow coverage at the CNN Political Ticker.
[Updated 12:11 p.m. ET] New York is warning food sellers, gas stations, cab companies and other businesses: No price gouging in Sandy’s wake.
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued an open letter saying his office is prepared to go after anyone who breaks the law.
In it, he also praises and thanks all those who are working to supply people with what they need, and he writes, “New Yorkers have always been at their best when facing adversity, and I am confident that we will live up to that standard throughout this hurricane.”
[Updated 12:09 p.m. ET] The pier in Ocean City, Maryland, has been destroyed, according to this Twitter post.
[Updated 12:04 p.m. ET] Officials are evacuating several hundred people from west Atlantic City, an area filled with many single-story motels where water levels are "dangerously high," said county spokeswoman Linda Gilmore. "Conditions are deteriorating as we speak," she said. "This storm is unprecedented."
[Updated 12:02 p.m. ET] A replica of the  HMS Bounty has sunk at sea, a Coast Guard official told CNN's Ashleigh Banfield. Fourteen people were rescued from that ship and two are still missing at sea, Vice Adm. Robert Parker said on CNN.
[Updated 11:54 a.m. ET] CNN viewers say they are stranded in Brooklyn, New York.
[Updated 11:52 a.m. ET] New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that the city is “well within the danger zone” of the storm, and said parts of the city could see significant storm surges between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Monday night.
[Updated 11:50 a.m. ET] Flooding at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
[Updated 11:42 a.m. ET] Atlantic City is under extremely heavy flooding in many areas, police tell CNN.
The tide is starting to go down, but when Hurricane Sandy makes landfall Monday night, officials expect 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.
[Updated 11:18 a.m.] The National Weather Service is reporting 24-foot seas off New Jersey.
[Updated 11:11 a.m.] 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:
[Updated 10:54 a.m.] 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.
[Updated 10:49 a.m.] The impact of Hurricane Sandy will be big enough to lower the country’s gross domestic product, economists tell CNNMoney.
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 10:42 a.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy intensified on Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center said. Maximum sustained winds have increased to 90 mph with gusts to 115 mph.
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[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:
[Update 9:57 a.m. ET] Waves are crashing ashore near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn, New York.
[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 9:48 a.m. ET] Wind gusts could reach 80 mph this afternoon and into the evening in New York City, the National Weather Service says.
[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.
Hurricane Sandy Viewed in the Dark of Night
[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 8:46 a.m. ET] Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy says the high tide at midnight has the potential to cause "unprecedented damage."
“The potential loss of life and loss of property in Connecticut, if these numbers are hit, will be extremely high,” he told reporters. “This is the most catastrophic event that we have faced and been able to plan for in any of our lifetimes. And we continue to do anything in our power to be ready.”
[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 8:23 a.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy is affecting air travelers around the world, including flights from airlines based in the Middle East and Australia.
[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:
"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."
[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.
"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.
[Update 6:45 a.m. ET] Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley tells CNN's Soledad O'Brien that power crews from as far away as Texas and Mississippi are in his state and prepared to make repairs to its power grid.
[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.
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."
Further updates on Amtrak service will come after 6 p.m. Monday or as needed, the website said.
[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.
[Update 1:50 a.m. ET] The MTA has posted some incredible photos of a deserted New York on its Flickr feed. Sandbags piled on Broadway. Grand Central Terminal with not a soul in sight. An eerie feel.
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[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.

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How Sandy will test Obama, Romney

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(CNN) -- The hurricane that is blowing through the East Coast has threatened to create the kind of unpredictable havoc in this election that presidential candidates always fear. With all the scripted television spots and carefully choreographed live appearances, Hurricane Sandy is generating fear that might push the campaign in directions that nobody has expected.
Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, and their circles of advisers, are likely glued to the weather coverage, trying to figure out which way this hurricane will make the election winds blow.
Social scientists have studied the impact of extreme weather on elections in American history, such as the ways in which Hurricane Andrew in Florida affected the 1992 contest between President George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton
Julian Zelizer
Julian Zelizer
But the severity of the unfolding hurricane, which will stretch across several states if the worst predictions come true, might be more dramatic than anything we have seen in a long time. The hurricane will pose a huge test for Obama in the next few days, one that will make the debate in Denver look like child's play.
Politics: Sandy disrupts campaigns
As voters, particularly those who are undecided, deliberate over whom they should support, they will watch Obama as he navigates through the storm and the post-storm clean-up. The crisis offers an opportunity for him to act presidential in a way for which some voters are thirsting and to demonstrate the kind of command that has often been lacking.
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He does not want to be an echo to President George W. Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, which became a symbol of incompetence.
At the same time, there is little that Mitt Romney can do, other than watch to see what people think of Obama's response, because any statement from him could easily become seen as political and offer little evidence of his own ability to lead.
The storm has already forced the campaigns to alter their short-term strategies. Already, both campaigns have canceled events in key states such as Virginia that are in the eye of the storm.
Romney will certainly have to pull some of the television spots that he has been getting ready to unleash in the final days of the campaign. Romney's strategy has focused on saving for a last-minute advertising blitz for which he planned to unload his campaign's coffers. Republicans didn't count on a storm getting in the way.
Axelrod: Storm makes campaigning harder
Presidential politics and the storm
Jersey Shore braces for hurricane
As Americans watch to see their fellow countrymen and women struggling through a crisis, they won't want to be bombarded with 30-second attack ads.
The Romney campaign will have to quickly think of ways to redesign their ads in certain states so that they fit the moment and provide voters with hope about new leadership rather than take the risk of generating criticism of the GOP being too petty and political, as occurred with Libya. Romney's team will have to redirect some of their energy toward states not affected, leaving the airwaves silent in the other states, waiting to see whether Romney has the momentum that can carry him.
Crowley: Sandy introduces big unknown into campaign
There is also the effect Sandy will have on the media, which already has focused primarily on the weather and much less on the presidential campaign. This gives candidates less space and time to influence events. Ordinarily, this would be a valuable time, a period when campaigns have one last week to shape voters' preferences, but this will become extraordinary difficult.
If electric power fails and people become preoccupied with personal hardships, there will be less time to focus on politics and it's possible that voter perceptions might be frozen into place.
Finally there is the big question of voting behavior. How will severe weather affect voters in states such as Virginia?
Many observers expect that this could depress voting in lower-income areas, which are often badly affected and which have the least resources to recover, a development which would naturally hurt Democrats. It also has caused cancellations in early voting that might have benefited Obama's vote total.
Another unpredictable factor is the sheer anger and frustration that can come from a weather crisis like this, which might very well intensify the broader sense of malaise that exists in the electorate. Even to those who are not in the path of the hurricane, this could feel like one more punch in the face to a nation tired of waiting for real economic recovery.
We can hope the most dire predictions about Hurricane Sandy will be wrong. But if they are not, the presidential candidates will face a massive test. Both candidates will need to scramble to make sure they handle it well.

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