The US preparing for Hurricane Sandy on war-footing

29 October, 2012

Hurricane Sandy, the super storm threatening 50 million people in New York City, the most heavily populated corridor in the United States, has strengthened itself as per weather forecasters. The National Hurricane Center has said early Monday that the speed of the winds has increased from 75 mph to 85 mph.

HURRICANE Sandy is about 385 miles south-southeast of New York City and the center of the storm is expected to be near the mid-Atlantic coast on Monday night. It was expected to hook inland during the day, colliding with a wintry storm moving in from the west and cold air streaming down from the Arctic.

Forecasters have warned that the New York area could be worst impacted as there could be 11-foot water wall in the city. From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns all are getting ready to face the Huricane Sandy.

Fearing the worst New York has ordered the evacuations of more than 370,000 people in low-lying communities from Coney Island in Brooklyn to Battery Park City in Manhattan. Seventy-Six public schools have been converted into evacuations shelters. There are chances that the hurricane could blow ashore Monday night or early Tuesday along the New Jersey coast, then cut across into Pennsylvania and travel up through New York State on Wednesday.

As per media reports 7, 200 flights have been canceled so far and Amtrack has suspended many trains across the Northeast. Schools, Subways, buses, trains in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and Boston have been shut down.

The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and other US exchanges will remain closeD on Monday.

American President Barrack Obama has termed hurricane Sandy a big and serous storm. He has urged the authorities to take the hurricane seriously and do whatever possible to deal with it.