The East Coast Waits Anxiously for Sandy to Do Her Worst

Nobody, but nobody, on the East Coast is downplaying the seriousness of Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to make landfall later Monday.

Late last week, people were still jokingly calling Sandy “Frankenstorm” because it was coinciding with a cold front from the West and arctic air from the North that would add to the hurricane's power, initially anticipated around Halloween time.

Hardly anyone at all is joking now, especially since the storm is expected to pack a far greater wallop than Hurricane Irene did in August 2011, potentially affecting 60 million people from Maryland to New England over an 800-mile swath with rainfall possibly as high as 12 inches and winds of 50 mph or more.

At the time of Irene, communities up and down the coast were hit by floods and power outages, although New York City was mostly spared. This time, New York might not be as lucky, and city officials took it upon themselves to stop mass transit as of Sunday evening, while residents of low-lying neighborhoods in virtually all the boroughs were told to evacuate. All New York City schools will be closed at least Monday.

In New Jersey, residents of towns as far south as Atlantic City and Cape May were given evacyation orders as ocean waves surged ahead of the storm. Governor Chris Christie, with his usual aplomb, called those who disobeyed the evacuation order “stupid.”

It’s almost a given too that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, could lose power because of high winds, while electricity might not be restored for days because crews can’t get out for repairs until the storm has fully passed, possibly as late as Wednesday.

Plane cancellations were reported at all the major airports in the Northeast, which affect the flight plans of passengers everywhere. Amtrak train service was also suspended in New York and New Jersey, while the New York Stock Exchange shut down late Sunday, including online trading

POSTED BY: Marilyn