Oct 30, 2012 12:17am
Hurricane Sandy: Live Updates
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4:58 PM EDT: AP increases nationwide death toll from Sandy to 39.
4:42 PM EDT: In a sign of the times, the Montclair, N.J. city council will open its chambers to the public on Wednesday, so residents without power can charge their cell phones.
3:42 PM EDT: New York City cancels Wednesday’s Halloween parade, for the first time 39 years.
2:58 PM EDT: “My message to governors and mayors and through them the communities hit so hard, we’re going to do everything we can to get resources to you and make sure any unmet need is responded to as soon as possible,” said President Obama at Red Cross HQ in Washington.
2:56 PM EDT: MTA announces limited bus service returning to New York City beginning this evening at 5 pm.
2:37 PM EDT: At Red Cross HQ, President Obama warns of more flooding, saying: “This storm is not yet over.”
2:35 PM EDT: Death toll rises to 38 across seven states, according to AP.
1:14 PM EDT: A spokesman for Rep. Bob Turner, a Republican from Queens, N.Y, confirms that the congressman’s home was among those burned in a series of storm-related fires that broke out in the Breezy Point section of the borough.
12:54 PM EDT: New York Stock Exchange confirms they will open tomorrow.
11:52 AM EDT: Firefighters using boats and military vehicles tell WABC-TV that they have “a couple hundred” more people to rescue in Little Ferry, N.J before high tide comes in again.
11:38 AM EDT: 20 people killed in storm-related deaths, says the Associated Press.
11:36 AM EDT: “We are cautiously optimistic Wall Street will reopen tomorrow,” says Cuomo.
11:34 AM EDT: Gov. Cuomo says JFK airport could re-open Wednesday, but La Guardia to remain closed because of damage. FEMA to send “unwatering” team to help pump water from tunnels.
Half-submerged cars float in a flooded parking lot in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York. (credit: Justin Lane/EPA)
11:30 AM EDT: MTA won’t charge fares on N.Y.C busses, says Cuomo.
11:25 AM EDT: Watch Live, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
11:09 AM EDT: No storm-related deaths at any evacuated city hospitals, Bloomberg says.
11:05 AM EDT: Bloomberg announces re-opening of Eastside N.Y.C bridges.
11:05 AM EDT: “The two biggest challenges facing our city going forward are getting the mass transit system up and running and restoring power,” said Bloomberg. Estimates power and subway won’t be fully functioning for three to four days at least.
11:00 AM EDT: Watch Live, N.Y.C Mayor Michael Bloomberg press conference.
10:13 AM EDT: 2.4 million households without power in N.J., twice the number who lost electricity during 2011′s Hurricane Irene, says Christie.
10:10 AM EDT: “Our priority is to ensure safety and security of every New Jerseyan,” said N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, as helicopters and swift boats perform search and rescue operations along the coast.
10:00 AM EDT: Watch Live, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie press conference.
A street sign stands near apartment buildings which flooded and destroyed large sections of an old boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J. (credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
9:51 AM EDT: Sewage at a rate of 2 million gallons per hour is spilling the into the main stem of the Little Patuxent River in Savage, Md. State officials say a power outage at a water reclamation plant is responsible.
9:47 AM EDT: Watch Live, Pa Gov. Tom Corbett press conference.
9:35 AM EDT: Most Amtrak train service in the Northeast remains suspended.
9:16 AM EDT: Lower Manhattan “Before and After” Hurricane Sandy.
9:06 AM EDT: High Tide at the Battery in New York City.
9:00 AM EDT: Over 15, 773 flights have been cancelled as a result of Sandy. Delta and Jet Blue plan to resume flights to Washington, D.C. airports sometime today. All four New York City area airports remain closed.
7: 55 AM EDT: Con Edison is reporting 684,000 customers without power in the New York City area.
7:21 AM EDT: The storm surge moved a 170-foot-long tanker to land in Staten Island, New York.
7:13 AM EDT: The Associated Press is reporting that Sandy is responsible for 17 deaths in seven states.
6:55 AM EDT: A spokesperson for NYU Medical Center tells WABC’s Stacey Sager that the hospital is still assessing the outage and its cause(s). The hospital has eight different generators, including at least one on a higher floor. They do not think they all went out but if in fact some are still working, it is not enough to power the whole hospital.
John Minchillo/AP Photo
6:33 AM EDT: A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency tells ABC News’s Matthew Jaffe that a second person has died from the storm.
6:13 AM EDT: Atlantic City has a boil water advisory for all residents and all shelters are filled to capacity.
6:02 AM EDT: President Obama has signed disaster declarations for New York and New Jersey.
5:49 AM EDT: A levee was breached overnight in Bergen County, N.J., according to Bergen County OEM PIO, Gina Jeanne Beratta. Minor injuries have been reported and rescue efforts are underway. Beratta says that hundred of people will need to be rescued.
5:00 AM EDT: PSE&G tells WABC that New Jersey has more than 2.3 million power outages.
3:44 AM EDT: FDNY says over 50 homes have been destroyed by the Breezy Point fire. It has been upgraded to a six-alarm fire. As of last count, there were 198 firefighters on the scene.
3:37 AM EDT: The FDNY now says 15 buildings are on fire in the Rockaways. Fire officials say the fire is difficult to fight because of heavy winds and the houses are close together. No people have been pulled out of houses and 145 firefighters are working the scene.
3:05 AM EDT: Nearly five million without power after Hurricane Sandy. New Jersey has been the hardest hit with more than 1.9 million without power.
1:55 AM EDT: MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said that seven subway tunnels under the East River flooded during the storm. It is not yet known when service will be restored. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (aka Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel) is flooded and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water, Lhota said in a statement.
1:45 AM EDT: More than 10 houses are on fire in Breezy Point, Queens and the western end of the Rockaway peninsula, according to the FDNY. The FDNY has more than 100 firefighters on the scene but are having trouble reaching the fires because of the flooding. No reports of any injuries at this time.
1:17 AM EDT: ABC News’ Jim DuBreuil sent this photo of a fire in the Breezy Point section of Brooklyn, N.Y.
ABC
1:00 AM EDT: At least 13 deaths in the U.S. blamed on Sandy, according to the Associated Press.
12:45 AM EDT: CLICK HERE for the full story on the evacuation at NYU Medical Center.
WABC
12:24 AM EDT: Sloan Kettering Hospital spokesman Chris Hickey confirmed to ABC News’ Gitika Ahuja that it is receiving 26 adult patients from NYU, at their request. Hickey said she didn’t know whether they had been admitted yet or what their conditions were.
12:22 AM EDT: Parts of lower Manhattan lose power after explosion at power station.
12:07 AM EDT: About 200 patients have been moved out of NYU Medical Center by private ambulances with assistance from the fire department.
11:46 PM EDT: A full evacuation of the NYU Medical Center is underway due to loss of power and backup generator, according to the NYC Office of Emergency Management.
WABC/ABC News
11:44 PM EDT: Con Ed said they have 670,000 customers out in New York City and Westchester, according to WABC’s Adam Stephan.
11:30 PM EDT: Many ambulances are outside NYU Lagone Medical Center and empty stretchers and being brought into the hospital, according to WABC’s Kemberly Richardson. The first patients are coming out of the hospital into the waiting ambulances, including an infant.
11:25 PM EDT:More than four million without power, according to the latest estimate. Post tropical cyclone Sandy still packing hurricane-force winds, according to latest NOAA advisory.
11:12 PM EDT: As the evacuation of NYU Lagone Medical Center in Manhattan gets underway, ABC News’ Chris Murphey reports a long line of ambulances is lined up at the hospital in readiness to move patients to other facilities. Other ABC News staffers report that nearby hospitals including Sloan Kettering, are getting ready to accept numerous patients.
10:58 PM EDT: New York City officials confirm that an evacuation is underway at New York University Langone Medical Center. The backup generators at the hospital have failed. The number evacuated is unknown at this time.
10:20 PM EDT: The National Weather Service reports a record high water level of 13.88 feet was set at the Battery in lower Manhattan at 9:24 pm, breaking the oldest official record of 10.02 feet, set during 1960′s Hurricane Donna.
10:18 PM EDT: United States Geological Survey warns heavy rainfall south of Philadelphia, Pa., could trigger landslides.
10:05 PM EDT: New York authorities say there is flooding in two major commuter tunnels as well as subway stations and tracks.
Water rushes into the Hoboken PATH station through an elevator shaft, Oct. 29, 2012, in Hoboken, N.J. (credit: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)
10:02 PM EDT: “By midnight tonight we expect surge to recede… Things have gotten tough, but we expect to get through things together as the city always does,” said Bloomberg, who added low tide will come early Tuesday morning.
9:59 PM EDT: NYC Mayor Bloomberg says stuck cars on city roadways are blocking emergency vehicles and urges residents to only call 911 in an emergency.
9:58 PM EDT: WATCH LIVE, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg press conference.
9:43 PM EDT: More than 2 millions customers without power, according to latest estimates.
9:24 PM EDT: A Connecticut man was killed by a falling tree limb, the first storm-related death in that state, said state police.
9:19 PM EDT: Much of lower Manhattan, from East to West, has been plunged into darkness.
Lower Manhattan goes dark during hurricane, as seen from Brooklyn, N.Y.
9:10 PM EDT: New York State officials tells ABC News there have been five deaths in the state, three children in Westchester County, one death in Ulster County, and one death in Queens.
8:53 PM EDT: N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo surveys storm surge breaching the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.
8:40 PM EDT: Much of lower Manhattan below 30th Street is without power.
8:29 PM EDT: “If conditions are not safe on Wednesday for Trick or Treating, I will sign an Executive Order rescheduling #Halloween,” Tweets N.J. Gov. Chris Christie.
8:06 PM EDT: A 29-year-old Queens, N.Y. man was killed by a falling tree limb, the first reported storm-related death in New York City.
8:02 PM EDT: Superstorm Sandy has made landfall along the coast of Southern New Jersey, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A Rehoboth Beach resident watches waves crash down in Delaware, just before Sandy made landfall. (credit: AP Photo)
7:57 PM EDT: NYPD say no injuries following facade collapse at New York City apartment building.
7:50 PM EDT: New York City pulls the plug on the Statue of Liberty’s torch.
7:14 PM EDT: New York City authorities shut down power in Lower Manhattan’s financial district in anticipation of increased flooding from storm surge.
7:11 PM EDT: Sandy downgraded to a post-tropical storm but still packing powerful 85 mph winds.
7:00 PM EDT: National Hurricane Center reports Sandy’s “center [is] expected to make landfall within the next hour or so.”
6:54 PM EDT: Evacuation updates state by state.
6:50 PM EDT: Maryland secretary of health confirms one death from storm-related crash.
6:07 PM EDT: To view breathtaking images of Hurricane Sandy, click here.
6:06 PM EDT: One crew member of the tall ship HMS Bounty remains missing. He has been identified as Robin Walbridge, 63.
(For continuing live stream coverage of Hurricane Sandy, click here.)
6:00 PM EDT: New York City power company ConEdison warns residents in low-lying, flood-prone areas, and Manhattan residents living below 36th Street, that they “may have to shut off their electrical service if the underground electrical equipment becomes inundated with water.”
5:42 PM EDT: As of 5:15 p.m. Eastern time, an estimated 1,258,923 people in 10 states are without power.
5:34 PM EDT: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie chastises Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford for advising residents to take shelter rather than evacuate following his order. “We are expecting landfall in the Atlantic City area sometime in the next hour. … We are no longer able to rescue people,” said Christie, adding that he would not order emergency workers into the city until tomorrow morning. “For those people who ignored my warnings, this is what you have to deal with now,” he said.
5:31 PM EDT: “This image should give all New Yorkers a real fright,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, from the boardwalk at Long Beach, N.Y. where the storm surge has breached sand berms.
5:29 PM EDT: As of 5 p.m. Eastern, Sandy is 40 miles from Atlantic City, and at the current forward speed is 1 hour from land fall.
