New York:
Sandy, downgraded from hurricane to superstorm, made landfall at 8 pm (5:42 am IST) along the southern coast of New Jersey, battering the US East Coast on Monday with fierce winds and driving rain. 13 people are reported dead in storm-related incidents, most of New York is in darkness, transportation has shut down, businesses are shuttered and thousands have been sent scrambling for higher ground.
Here are the 10 latest developments in the story:
The superstorm has battered New York State. Agence France-Press (AFP) has reported the death of at least 13 people. New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina reported 12 dead from the massive storm system, and Toronto police said a Canadian woman was killed by flying debris. (Read: 13 dead in aftermath)
A New York City hospital is moving out more than 200 patients after its backup generator failed when the power was knocked out by the superstorm. (Read more)
Much of New York City has been plunged into darkness after the storm crippled power stations on Manhattan island, leaving about 250,000 homes without electricity, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said.There have been power breakdowns in 11 US states; that is an estimated 3.1 million people in darkness. (Watch: New York plunged in darkness)
As it hit, the storm hurled a record-breaking 13-foot surge of seawater at New York City on Monday, roaring ashore after washing away part of the Atlantic City boardwalk. Water pressed into the island from three sides and New York's subways and car tunnels are flooded. Mass transit systems have been halted in New York, Boston and Washington, as well as Connecticut's highways.
Major US airports are closed; almost 10000 flights have been grounded. Tens of thousands of stranded fliers are waiting out the storm.
The federal bureaucracy in Washington is shuttered. In New York, the United Nations offices are closed. The New York Stock Exchange will be closed for a second day. Monday's was the first unscheduled closure since 9/11 and the first weather-related closure in 27 years. Wall Street is expected to remain closed on Tuesday.
The storm damage is projected at $10 billion to $20 billion, meaning it could prove to be one of the costliest natural disasters in US history, AFP reports.
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have suspended their campaigning for the November 6 Presidential elections. President Obama cancelled a campaign event in Florida on Monday in order to return to Washington and monitor the US government's response to the storm. (Read: Superstorm Sandy disrupts Presidential campaign)
America's oldest nuclear power plant - Oyster Creek in Lacey Township, New Jersey, is on alert after waters from the colossal storm reached high levels. It was already offline for regular maintenance before Sandy hit. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says an "unusual event" was declared around 7 p.m. local time, when water reached a high level. The situation was upgraded less than two hours later to an "alert," the second-lowest in a four-tiered warning system. Officials said all nuclear plants are still in safe condition. (Read: US oldest nuclear plant on alert)
A police car was lost rescuing 14 people from the popular resort Fire Island. A construction crane atop a luxury high-rise in midtown Manhattan collapsed in high winds and dangled precariously. Residents in surrounding buildings were ordered to move to lower floors and the streets below were cleared, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. The facade of a four-story Manhattan building in the Chelsea neighborhood crumbled and collapsed suddenly, leaving the lights, couches, cabinets and desks inside visible from the street. Cars were seen floating.
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