Hurricane Sandy is a late-season tropical cyclone that has affected Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the eastern seaboard of the United States, and is currently affecting the area south of the Great Lakes Region of the United States, and Eastern Canada. It is the the largest Atlantic tropical system on record.
Sandy's impact on the United States stretched from Virginia to New England with tropical storm force winds stretching far inland and significant mountain snows in West Virginia. The cyclone brought a record-breaking storm surge to New York City on the evening of October 29, with numerous streets and tunnels flooded in Lower Manhattan and other areas of the city.
On October 29, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommended people caught in Hurricane Sandy use social media like Twitter and Facebook to communicate if they have no other means of communication.
Due to flooding and other storm-related problems, Amtrak cancelled all Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone Service and Shuttle services on October 30.
More than 13,000 flights were canceled across the U.S. on October 29, and more than 3,500 were called off October 30. Amtrak cancelled all of its Northeast Corridor service, in addition to some other lines.
Nearly 7.1 million customers lost power across the eastern half of the country across 13 states and Washington, D.C.. About half were in New York and New Jersey.
Storm damage was projected at $10 billion to $20 billion, meaning it could prove to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
As of early October 30, thirteen deaths were reported in the states of New Jersey, New York, West Virginia Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Some of the victims were killed by falling trees.
More than 1,500 FEMA personnel are along the East Coast working to support disaster preparedness and response operations, including search and rescue, situational awareness, communications and logistical support. In addition, 28 teams comprised of 294 FEMA Corps members are pre-staged to support Sandy responders. Three federal urban search and rescue task forces are positioned in the Mid-Atlantic and ready to deploy as needed.
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