October 29, 2012

With Hurricane Sandy approaching, the Long Island Railroad announced the suspension of their service at 7pm on Sunday night, October 28, 2012 in Hicksville, New York

Oct. 29, 12:15 EST: In Iowa, a new daily rainfall record has been set. A total of 2.43 inches of rain has fallen at Atlantic City International Airport – and more is expected. The previous record was 2.33 inches of rain in 1908. 

Oct. 29, 12:10 EST: Atlantic City has been totally flooded, reports BuzzFeed. 

Oct. 29, 12:05 EST: Waters are already rising to Irene levels in New York City as Sandy approaches the East Coast.

Atlantic City getting totally flooded (Image from facebook.com/BuzzFeed)

Oct. 29, 12:00 EST: NYC’s emergency storm shelters are mostly empty. Less than 3,000 people checked in so far, which means the shelters are only filled to about four percent of capacity.

Oct. 29, 11:59 EST: Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered NYC schools closed on Tuesday. In Washington D.C., the US Supreme Court won't convene on Tuesday; cases have been rescheduled for Thursday.

Water entering the runway safety area adjacent to the bay runway at JFK (Image from twitter.com @NYGovCuomo)

Oct. 29, 11:40 EST: New York City is under a coastal flood warning from 3:00pm to 6:00am local time, Mayor Bloomberg said during a press conference.

Flood waters approaching the La Guardia Airport runways and taxiways (Image from twitter.com @PANYNJ)

Oct. 29, 10:55 EST: New York has closed two of the major tunnels in and out of the city. The Brooklyn-Battery and Holland tunnels will both be closed at 2:00 pm local time due to threats of flooding.

"Even a hurricane won't keep the honor guard from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier this morning", tweets user venice4change. (Image from twitter.com)

Oct. 29, 10:29 EST: Around 7,500 Monday and Tuesday flights in the northeastern US were canceled, flight-tracking service FlightAware reported.

Norfolk, Virginia (Image from twitter.com @MartinMMC)

Oct. 29, 10:00 EST: PATH, the train service connecting New Jersey and New York, is suspended until further notice, PATH Rail System announced on Twitter.

Oct. 29, 09:15 EST: The United Nations Headquarters in New York will be closed on Monday, and possibly on Tuesday, due to the hurricane, the UN’s Twitter account said.

Red Hook neighborhood, Brooklyn (Image from twitter.com @greenpainting)

Oct. 29, 07:05 EST: UPDATE: All 17 crew members of the HMS Bounty have been rescued. The ship was reportedly stranded and taking on water 160 miles west of the eye of Hurricane Sandy.

(AFP Photo / NASA)

Oct. 29, 06:20 EST: The Coast Guard has responded to a distress call from a ship with 17 people aboard, roughly 90 miles off the East Coast. The HMS Bounty is 160 miles (200km) away from the eye of Hurricane Sandy, and is reportedly taking on water and cannot move.

Oct. 29, 05:35 EST: NBC is reporting that wave heights of around 30ft (9m) are expected just 100 miles (162km) off the New Jersey coast.

Oct. 29, 05:27 EST: Hurricane Sandy has strengthened, with winds now reaching 85mph (137kph), according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane-force winds along the East Coast and snow in Appalachia is expected.

Screenshot from NASA video

Oct. 29, 02:49 EST: The National Hurricane Center is reporting tropical storm conditions across coastal areas of North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. Gale-force winds are expected to arrive along the mid-Atlantic coast later on Monday.

Oct. 29, 02:15 EST: Many reports of bare shelves in supermarkets as people stock up on water, bread, butter, milk, non-perishable food and generators. Select areas also reporting fuel shortages, with some gas stations completely dry.

Oct. 29, 02:00 EST: Winds of up to 75mph (120kmph) and as much as 12 inches (30cm) of rain are expected to fall in some parts of the East Coast, according to the US National Weather Service.

Oct. 29, 01:45 EST: Experts predict up to 60 million people will be affected by Hurricane Sandy, with a disaster zone expected to stretch 800 miles (1287.5km), from the Mid-Atlantic to the Great Lakes.

Oct. 29, 01:31 EST: The National Hurricane Center’s latest data indicates that Sandy is turning northward. The forecast predicts the storm will hit the Jersey shore on Monday night.

Oct. 29, 01:17 EST: Around 375,000 people have been evacuated from New York ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. Storm surges expected to reach 11ft (3.35m).

Oct. 28, 23:45 EST: Airlines have so far canceled over 7,100 flights to and from the Northeast Corridor, according to Flightaware.com.

Oct. 28, 23:24 EST: New York Stock Exchange will close US markets on Monday, Reuters reports. NASDAQ is also expected to close all US equity and derivatives exchanges.

Oct. 28, 22:16 EST: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has estimated that the wind damage alone from Hurricane Sandy could reach $3 billion.

Oct. 28, 21:49 EST: All bus carriers in New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal have stopped their activity. New York's Staten Island Ferry and East River Ferry services have also been suspended.

Oct. 28, 20:47 EST: President Obama signs District of Columbia emergency declaration.

Oct. 28, 19:26 EST: President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in the state of New York. Earlier, a state of emergency was announced in Massachusetts.

Oct. 28, 19:07 EST: New York City has shut down all subway, bus and train services. Washington, DC's rapid transit system will also be closed on Monday until further notice. Earlier, Philadelphia announced it would suspend all public transit services, with the last trains and buses running on Sunday night.

Oct. 28, 18:13 EST: British Airways has canceled all flights to New York, and dozens to other East Coast cities. “We are offering the option to re-book or receive a refund to those customers whose flights are cancelled," the airline said in a statement.

Oct. 28, 17:37 EST: The New York Stock Exchange has temporarily closed its trading floor on Wall Street because of its proximity to evacuation areas in New York City. The NYSE is turning to fully electronic exchange until further notice, the NYSE said in a statement.

Oct. 28, 17:01 EST: President Barack Obama has warned Americans to take Hurricane Sandy "very seriously," urging everyone in the Eastern Seaboard to strictly follow safety instructions from their local officials. "My first message is to all people across the Eastern Seaboard, mid-Atlantic going north. You need to take this very seriously," Obama said.

http://rt.com/usa/news/frankenstorm-sandy-live-updates-451/print/