Sandy Storm claims over 100 lives in US, Canada

At long last Superstorm Sandy finally started receding but only after making destruction from the Caribbean to Canada, leaving more than 100 dead and millions without power.

The storm, which claimed 67 lives in the Caribbean and at least 48 in the United States (US) including 18 in New York City, added an uncertain twist to the US presidential race, striking one week before the nation votes in a cliffhanger election.

The storm virtually shut down New York City, the nation’s largest city, with major airports, highways, and bridges and tunnels in and out of Manhattan shut down, just as they were after 9/11.

It blasted the ocean itself over dunes, seawalls and berms and into downtowns, tunnels and subways. It also destroyed famed landmarks and amusement parks, pushed houses off their foundations and toppled trees.

For millions of people in New York City and elsewhere, the lights remain out, communications remain down and floodwaters, downed trees and power lines still make roads impassable.

However, some of the hardest-hit areas on the East Coast were beginning to take the first steps towards recovery. For instance, some New York bridges, tunnels, highways and airports reopened or were slated to be reopened by Wednesday morning.

The number of dead continued to rise by the hour a day after the storm made landfall near Atlantic City, N.J. and rocked states including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie while speaking to the media said, “I just never thought I would see what I saw today – ever. It won’t be same. It will be different because many of the iconic things that made it what it was are not gone and washed into the ocean.”

The power outages were spread over 17 states, from Virginia to Maine, and while the number of customers affected topped 8 million, the number of people living without power would be several times that number.

President Obama issued disaster declarations for New York and New Jersey so that federal aid will be offered to the affected areas to help supplement state and local clean-up efforts.

“The most important message I have for them is that America is with you. We are standing behind you and we are going to do everything we can to help you get back on your feet,” he said.

Among the hardest hit were New Jersey and New York, where public transportation was shut down, millions lost power and storm surges swamped cars, homes, businesses and boardwalks.

In New York, the New York Stock Exchange is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday after being closed for an unprecedented two days.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Oct 31 2012. Filed under Latest News, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.