HURRICANE NEARS LAND; MAJOR POWER OUTAGES AND FLOODING ALREADY
Dina Spector, Gus Lubin and Adam Taylor
BusinessInsider.com
Oct. 29, 2012
Hurricane Sandy is speeding toward the East Coast packing winds of up to 90 mph. She’s expected to make landfall in New Jersey around 6 p.m., which is earlier than previous estimates.
The powerful storm has already caused widespread damage. A construction crane collapsed in Manhattan, seaside communities are flooded, close to 94,000 people are without power in New Jersey, and 11,000 flights have been grounded in anticipation of the storm.
But that’s just the start.
Around 10 million people could lose power, estimates Johns Hopkins engineer Seth Guikema. Some estimates for property damage alone are as high as $15 billion — estimates for total economic damage are reaching $45 billion.
New York City has evacuated coastal areas; shut down the MTA; canceled school for Monday and Tuesday; closed the Holland Tunnel and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel as well as half a dozen bridges around New York City. LaGuardia airport may be underwater by Monday night. The New York Stock Market is closed Monday and probably Tuesday. And you might want to stay away from Gowanus, which is expected to overflow with toxic poo. Andrew Cuomo has announced that the New York State national guard will be deployed at 3pm. The worst moment of the storm for New Yorkers is expected to be around 8.15pm, Mayor Bloomberg said today.
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