NYC Superstorm Sandy Death Toll, Economic Impacts

Updates From AP

Nov 2, 2012

 NEW YORK (AP) – The New York City death toll from Superstorm
Sandy continues to rise.
     Police said Friday that the latest figure was 41.
     Police officials stress that the death toll is preliminary.

     The total could continue to go up. It also could go down if the
medical examiner determines any deaths were not storm-related.

 

 NEW YORK (AP) – Corporate America is just starting to add up its
losses from Superstorm Sandy, expected to be one of the most
expensive storms in U.S. history.
     Delta Air Lines and Verizon were two of the first major
companies to formally indicate the obvious, saying Friday that they
will lose money because of the storm.
     Delta had to cancel thousands of flights, while Verizon had cell
towers blown out of commission and its New York offices flooded by
the storm that thrashed the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.
     The corporate bill is sure to swell as casinos, insurance
companies and retailers tally the damage.
     Companies such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, however, could benefit
as people load up on generators and other supplies needed for the
rebuilding effort.

  NEW YORK (AP) – Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the New York City
Marathon will go on despite storm-related objections.
     Bloomberg discussed the marathon Friday while giving a briefing
on the storm.
     He says New York has to show that “we are here and we are going
to recover.” Bloomberg says the marathon will “give people
something to cheer about” after a “dismal week.”
     Bloomberg has come under fire for pressing ahead with the
marathon in a city still reeling from Superstorm Sandy. Some New
Yorkers say holding the 26.2-mile race would be insensitive and
divert police and other important resources when many are still
suffering.
     Bloomberg says his predecessor, Rudy Giuliani (joo-lee-AH’-nee),
made the right decision to let the marathon continue after the
September 2001 terrorist attack.

 

Nov 1, 2012

New York Mayor,Michael Bloomberg said Thursday, the New York City
death toll from superstorm Sandy is now 37.

 Experts are reviewing plans to secure the arm of
a crane that’s been dangling off a luxury high-rise in midtown
Manhattan.
     City officials said Thursday that inspections of the crane have
been completed.
     Meanwhile, the city has lifted its pre-storm ban on all outdoor
construction work.
     A state-by-state look at superstorm’s effects
     The massive storm that started out as Hurricane Sandy slammed
into the East Coast and morphed into a huge and problematic system,
killing at least 75 people in the United States. Power outages now
stand at more than 4.6 million homes and businesses, down from a
peak of 8.5 million. Here’s a snapshot of what is happening, state
by state.
     CONNECTICUT
     Governor Dannel Malloy and other state, federal and local
officials from Connecticut is meeting today with U.S. Homeland
Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to review storm damage in the
state. Deaths: 3. Power outages: 345,000, down from a peak of more
than 620,000.
     DELAWARE
     Governor Jack Markell lifts state of emergency and authorizes
National Guard to continue cleanup support. Shelters close. Deaths:
none. Power outages: 500, down from more than 45,000.
     KENTUCKY
     The last remnants of Sandy drop more snow in the mountains on
top of a foot that already fell. Deaths: none. Power outages:
3,000.
     MAINE
     Amtrak’s Downeaster resumes service. Governor sends forest
rangers to New York City to help with recovery there. Deaths: none.
Power outages: 3,300, down from more than 90,000.
     MARYLAND
     Residents return to polls after storm forced cancellation of
early voting for two days. Deaths: 3. Power outages: 47,345, down
from 290,000.
     MASSACHUSETTS
     Storm shifted a dead whale that had been left to rot on the
shoreline to a spot where scientists can now recover the bones
before it is buried. Deaths: none. Power outages: 19,500, down from
400,000.
     MICHIGAN
     Cargo shipping resumes on the Great Lakes after high waves
subside. Deaths: none. Power outages: 10,000, down from 154,000.
     NEW HAMPSHIRE
     Surprise “microburst” from vestiges of storm topples pines
onto lake cottages. Trick-or-treating postponed to Sunday. Deaths:
1. Power outages: 16,000, down from 210,000.
     NEW JERSEY
     Debate rages about whether to rebuild delicate but popular
barrier islands a day after President Barack Obama tours them by
air. National Guard delivers food and water to people in flooded
Hoboken. Deaths: 14. Power outages: 1.76 million, down from 2.7
million.
     NEW YORK
     New York City subways partially reopen, but streets remain
choked with traffic. LaGuardia Airport has reopened today; the
city’s other two major airports already started limited flights. It
could be days before power is fully restored. Deaths: 30, including
22 in New York City. Power outages: 1.6 million, down from 2.2
million.
     NORTH CAROLINA
     Sea search continues for the captain of a tall ship that sank.
Deaths: 2. Power outages: mostly restored.
     OHIO
     Cleanup begins after another day of steady rains and gusty winds
that led to flood warnings along Lake Erie. Deaths: 2. Power
outages: 100,000, down from more than 250,000.
     PENNSYLVANIA
     Utility crews struggle to restore power in state where most
damage was driven by wind, not water. Deaths: 12. Power outages:
525,000, down from 1.2 million.
     RHODE ISLAND
     Power outages and impassable roads mean some residents may not
be able to return home for days in some coastal communities.
Deaths: none. Power outages: 25,000, down from more than 122,000.
     TENNESSEE
     Elizabethton businesses close off a street and cover sidewalks
for trick-or-treaters as snow falls in mountainous areas. Deaths:
none. Power outages: minimal.
     VERMONT
     Amtrak works to restore service to the state after tracks were
damaged in other areas. Deaths: none. Power outages: mostly
restored, down from more than 10,000.
     VIRGINIA
     National Guard winds down most recovery operations. U.S. Navy
sends three Virginia-based ships toward the Northeast in case
they’re needed. Deaths: 2. Power outages: 9,300, down from more
than 180,000.
     WASHINGTON, D.C.
     Early voting resumes after being shut down for two days, and
hours are extended. Federal workers return, National Mall reopens.
Deaths: none. Power outages: mostly restored, down from 25,000.
     WEST VIRGINIA
     Last remnants of Sandy drop more snow; some areas have seen
nearly 3 feet. Eight buildings collapse in Nicholas County; no
injuries reported. Deaths: 6. Power outages: 154,000, down from
about 271,000.
    

Oct 31, 2012

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – President Barack Obama and New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie have begun an hour-long aerial tour of New
Jersey hurricane damage aboard Obama’s Marine One helicopter.
     Obama flew to New Jersey today for a first-hand look at the
devastation from the storm. He’s officially away from the campaign
trail for a third day, but his trip is layered with political
implications.
     It gives Obama a chance to project leadership in the final days
of the tightly-contested White House race. And Christie, his tour
guide, has been a supporter of Mitt Romney. Christie has praised
Obama’s efforts to help states dealing with the storm.
     But Obama spokesman Jay Carney says there are no political
motivations behind Obama’s decision to join his rival’s supporter
today. Carney says it’s “not a time for politics.”
     Christie was on hand to greet Air Force One in Atlantic City.
FEMA administrator Craig Fugate then joined them aboard Marine One
for a look at the storm damage.
     Before heading to New Jersey, Obama visited FEMA headquarters in
Washington.
     Obama plans to return to the campaign trail tomorrow, with stops
planned in Wisconsin, Nevada and Colorado.
     
     SUPERSTORM-SANDY
     New Yorkers back to work under sunny skies
     NEW YORK (AP) – For the first time since Hurricane Sandy struck,
there’s bright sunshine today over New York City, after days of
gray skies, rain and wind.
     The stock exchange is up and running — on generator power —
after being shut down for two days. And limited subway service is
supposed to start tomorrow.
     Morning rush-hour traffic was heavy today in New York as people
started returning to work. Some commuters were seen waiting at bus
stops — for buses running free of charge. Two main tunnels
connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn and New Jersey remain closed,
but bridges into the city are open.
     Millions of homes and businesses are still without power from
the storm, which left at least 61 people dead and inflicted
billions of dollars in damage.
     Outages in New Jersey’s two largest cities, Newark and Jersey
City, left traffic signals dark, resulting in fender-benders at
intersections where police weren’t directing traffic. At one
supermarket in Jersey City, there were long lines to get bread and
use an electrical outlet to charge cellphones.
    

NEW YORK (AP) – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (KWOH’-moh) says
limited subway service will resume in New York City on Thursday.
     Cuomo also says limited commuter rail service on the Long Island
Rail Road and the Metro-North railroad will resume at 2 p.m.
Wednesday.
     He says subway service will be supplemented with buses between
Manhattan and Brooklyn. He says more details will be released
later.
     The floodwaters that poured into New York’s deepest subway
tunnels because of Hurricane Sandy and the hybrid storm it spawned
pose the biggest obstacle to the city’s recovery.
     Many tunnels that carry trains were flooded by the storm, which
represents the worst natural disaster in the transit system’s
108-year history.

 The Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York’s biggest bus hub, has reopened.

 

 NEW YORK (AP) – More than 1.9 million customers remain without
power in New York State.
     The majority, 1.6 million, are on Long Island and in New York
City and its northern suburbs.
     In New York City, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island have the most
outages.
     The total state outages are down from a peak of 2.2 million
customers.

 

 NEW YORK (AP) – The death toll from superstorm Sandy is now at
least 55 people along the Atlantic Coast.
     Meanwhile, communities are slowly recovering from the storm.
     In hard-hit New York City, hundreds of thousands of customers
are still without electricity, but buses are running and Wall
Street is reopening this morning.
     JFK International Airport and Newark, New Jersey’s airport also
are operating with limited service today.
    
     PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
     Obama visits storm victims
     WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama is traveling to New
Jersey today to meet with Gov. Chris Christie and victims of
superstorm Sandy.
     Parts of the state have experienced massive flooding.
     Power outages are still a major problem across the state and
state government offices and most schools will remain closed today.
     Christie says when beaches are rebuilt, they’ll likely look
different because boardwalks and amusement rides were washed away.
    
     SUPERSTORM-NJ-FIRE
     Fire breaks out in storm-damaged NJ shore town
     MANTOLOKING, N.J. (AP) – A fire has broken out in a New Jersey
shore town that was hit hard by Sandy.
     Video from WNBC-TV in New York shows flames reaching in the sky
over Mantoloking. There’s a large cluster of flames and smaller
fires spread out from it.
     It’s not clear what’s burning.
     The small town, which sits between the Atlantic Ocean and
Barnegat Bay, suffered severe damage during the storm.

 

Update Oct 30, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – It could be days before people in much of the
Northeast can see their lives start to return to normal, in the
aftermath of a storm that has left at least 39 people dead.

More than 8.2 million people across the East are without power. New York
City was especially hard hit, its subways shut down and much of
Manhattan left without power.
     
     UNDATED (AP) – The storm that resulted when Hurricane Sandy
merged with two other storm systems has been moving westward today
across Pennsylvania with winds of 45 miles an hour.

It’s expected to make a turn into New York State tonight. Although it is getting weaker as it goes, forecasters still expect it to bring heavy rain
and flooding.

In one measure of the storm’s size and power, waves
on southern Lake Michigan have risen above 20 feet, tying a record.
     
     WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama is warning the public
that the massive storm that struck the East Coast “is not yet
over.” The president says there are still risks of flooding and
downed power lines.

He called the storm “heartbreaking for the nation.” Obama spoke during a visit to Red Cross headquarters.

He plans to stay in Washington through tomorrow, scrapping three
straight days of campaigning to deal with the storm.

In Ohio, meanwhile, Mitt Romney collected relief supplies for storm victims,
saying there are “a lot of people hurting.”
     
     NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Stock Exchange will reopen for
regular trading Wednesday after being shut down for two days because
of Hurricane Sandy.

The exchange says its building and trading floor are fully operational. This was the first time since 1888 that the exchange remained closed for two consecutive days due to weather.

Sections of Manhattan were inundated with water, and power
was shut off to thousands of people and businesses.

  NEW YORK (AP) – The floodwaters that poured into New York’s
deepest subway tunnels may pose the biggest obstacle to the city’s
recovery from the worst natural disaster in the transit system’s
108-year history.
     Critical electrical equipment could be ruined. Track beds could
be covered with debris. Corrosive salt water could have destroyed
essential switches, lights, turnstiles and the power-conducting
third rail.
     Several tunnels that carry trains beneath the East River
remained flooded Tuesday. The head of the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority said it was too early to tell how long it
would take to pump them dry and make repairs.
     There has always been flooding in the tunnels, which collect
storm water constantly, even in the lightest of rains. But
authorities said there has never been anything like the damage
inflicted by Hurricane Sandy.

 

Earlier…

NEW YORK (AP) – President Barack Obama has declared a major
disaster for New York City and Long Island.

Superstorm Sandy is marching slowly inland after leaving at least 17 dead in its march up the East Coast. Millions of people are without power or mass
transit and many areas are flooded.

     
     NEW YORK (AP) – New York City is among the hardest hit places
and the effects of Superstorm Sandy are expected to linger for a
while.

A large swath of the city has no electric and subway and
vehicle tunnels are flooded. A fire destroyed at least 50 houses
overnight in Queens and the financial district is closed for a
second day.

     
     CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A different form of water from
Superstorm Sandy has blitzed West Virginia — snow and lots of it.

A blizzard warning covers a large part of the state today as snow
and high winds blow over Appalachia.

Forecasters say a foot and more of snow was reported in lower elevations. High elevations in the mountains were getting more than two feet. More than 128,000 customers in West Virginia are without power.

 

Update Oct 29, 2012

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Much of the northeastern United
States is shut down — schools, transit systems, office buildings
– as Hurricane Sandy moves toward shore.

New York City and Long Island are bracing for the worst of the storm surge — as much as eleven feet of seawater.

More than 7,000 flights have been grounded across the Northeast, and that’s having a ripple effect, causing delays and canceled flights not only in the United States, but also in Europe and Asia.
     
     ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy is
continuing to move quickly and should make landfall by early Monday
evening in southern New Jersey or Delaware.

And they say it’s starting to lose its tropical nature as it merges with a cold
weather system that is already dumping snow in West Virginia.

As a hybrid storm, they say, Sandy’s damage will be more widespread, but
it will be less intense.
     
     NEW YORK (AP) – Stock exchanges in New York are planning to open
again on Wednesday — but they’ll be closed for a second day
Tuesday, as New York takes a pounding from Hurricane Sandy.

The
last time the New York Stock Exchange was closed for weather was in
1985 because of Hurricane Gloria.

This will be the first time since 1888 that it will be closed for two consecutive days because of weather.

Areas around New York’s Financial District are part of a
mandatory evacuation zone.

The storm surge is already pushing water over seawalls at the southern tip of Manhattan.

 
     CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Snow plows are out in the southern
Appalachian mountains, beginning what could be a long week of snow
removal as forecasters predict as much as 3 feet of snow spawned by
Hurricane Sandy.

Forecasters in West Virginia expanded a blizzard warning for high winds and heavy, wet snow.

The early snowfall in higher elevations could be a boon for the area’s ski resorts, which have sometimes struggled to keep their slopes open.

Hurricane Sandy as it moved toward land Monday
was beginning to morph from hurricane into hybrid storm.

The change signals a more diffuse storm that will be bigger and sloppier.
     National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said Sandy was
beginning to lose its tropical nature as it merges with a cold
weather system that is already dumping snow in West Virginia.
     Sandy has been among the largest-sized hurricanes. Meteorologist
Jeff Masters said that as a hybrid, Sandy’s damage will be even
wider. But it will be less intense.
     Its force will extend as far as Chicago, where the National
Weather Service already has issued high wind warnings and a
lakeshore flood warning.
     
     WASHINGTON (AP) – They can’t exactly shut down their campaigns,
with eight days to go until Election Day.

But President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney can’t ignore Hurricane Sandy, either.

Obama Monday canceled a midday rally in Florida and flew back to
Washington to keep tabs on the storm.

Romney has been campaigning in Ohio and Iowa, but canceled events Monday night and Tuesday.

His campaign is thinking of sending him to New Jersey later this week,
where he could meet with victims and with Gov. Chris Christie, a
Romney ally.
     
     WASHINGTON (AP) – Hurricane Sandy could complicate Friday’s
release of the October jobs report, the final snapshot of
employment before the presidential election.

Labor Department officials are still hopeful that they can release the report as  scheduled.

But they acknowledged that the storm could cause a delay.

Preparation for the jobs report typically ramps up in the
week of the release.

The federal government was closed today, and final calculations could be delayed if the government stays closed because of the storm.