Forget distinctions like tropical storm
or hurricane. Don't get fixated on a particular track. Wherever it
hits, the rare behemoth storm inexorably gathering in the eastern U.S.
will afflict a third of the country with sheets of rain, high winds and
heavy snow, say officials who warned millions in coastal areas to get
out of the way.
"We're looking
at impact of greater than 50 to 60 million people," said Louis
Uccellini, head of environmental prediction for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
As
Hurricane Sandy barrelled north from the Caribbean — where it left
nearly five dozen dead — to meet two other powerful winter storms,
experts said it didn't matter how strong the storm was when it hit land:
The rare hybrid storm that follows will cause havoc over 800 miles from
the East Coast to the Great Lakes.
"This
is not a coastal threat alone," said Craig Fugate, director of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. "This is a very large area."
President Barack Obama
was monitoring the storm and working with state and locals governments
to make sure they get the resources needed to prepare, administration
officials said.
New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency Saturday as hundreds
of coastal residents started moving inland and the state was set to
close its casinos. New York's
governor was considering shutting down the subways to avoid flooding
and half a dozen states warned residents to prepare for several days of
lost power.
Sandy weakened briefly to a tropical storm
Saturday but was soon back up to Category 1 strength, packing 75 mph
winds. It was about 275 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.,
and moving northeast at 14 mph as of 2 a.m. Sunday. Forecasters said the
storm was spreading tropical storm conditions across the coastline of North Carolina,
and they were expected to move up the mid-Atlantic coastline late
Sunday. Experts said the storm was most likely to hit the southern New
Jersey coastline by late Monday or early Tuesday.
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