Photos: Storm Sandy Causes Heavy Flooding on US East Coast [PHOTOS]
By Vasudevan Sridharan | Oct 30, 2012 05:34 AM EDT
Super-storm Sandy has made landfall in the US east coast state of New Jersey causing severe flooding across the eastern seaboard.
Heavy rains and high winds lashed the region forcing the subways and other transportation means to remain closed. In New York, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Boston public transportation stayed suspended.
Lower Manhattan has been one of the badly affected areas. Nearly 250,000 people were left without power and the region has been plunged in to darkness. Underground electrical systems are also under serious threat of surging sea water.
Up to three million people were left without power supply while another one million people were told to evacuate their homes.
Water levels up to 13 feet, a record high for the area, are reported in the southern tip of Manhattan. Flooding has also been reported in other parts of Manhattan. East Village, Soho, and Battery Park are under flood waters.
"Lower Manhattan is being covered by seawater. I am not exaggerating. Seawater is rushing into the Battery Tunnel," said Howard Glaser, director of operations for the New York state government.
Oyster Creek, the oldest nuclear facility in America located at New Jersey has been put on high alert due to the rising sea water.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the flood waters would recede in the next hours however, cautioned the people to stay inside their homes. It is estimated that nearly 50 million people who were on the path of Sandy could be affected.
Thousands of flights have been cancelled as all the airports in the New York remain closed. The US stock markets have been closed for both floor and electronic trading.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Sandy made its landfall as a post-tropical cyclone with battering winds of up to 80 mph (129 kph).
It had lost the hurricane status hours before Sandy came ashore, although the winds were higher than that of a hurricane.
Though the exact damage caused by Sandy is yet to be determined, reports suggest it could be anywhere from $ 10bn (£6.2bn) to $20bn (£12.4bn).
Sandy has already forced the US Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to reschedule their campaigns in the crucial week ahead of the elections.
Thirteen people have died in the US due to the hurricane, reported the Associated Press. The hurricane has already killed at least 66 people in Caribbean before reaching the US states.
An emergency vehicle plows through flood water as Hurricane Sandy comes ashore in Dewey Beach
Source: Reuters
Flood waters surround a car parked on a street in Hoboken, New Jersey
Source: Reuters
Floodwaters from Hurricane Sandy rush into the Port Authority Trans-Hudson's (PATH) Hoboken, New Jersey station through an elevator shaft
Source: Reuters
Storm surf kicked up by the high winds from Hurricane Sandy break onto homes in Southampton, New York
Source: Reuters
Flood picture uploaded from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's Twitter account.
Source:
The HMS Bounty is shown submerged in the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy approximately 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina
Source: Reuters
People take photos on a darkened flooded street during a blackout in Chelsea believed to be caused by rising river waters as Hurricane Sandy made its approach in New York
Source: Reuters
A deluge of water floods the Battery Tunnel in Manhattan as Hurricane Sandy made its approach in New York
Source: Reuters
A man stands in front of a flooded building in Manhattan as Hurricane Sandy made its approach in New York
Source: Reuters
A sex shop is seen open near Times Square ahead of Hurricane Sandy in New York
Source: Reuters
FDNY fire and rescue personnel lead a boat of ConEd power workers through flood waters after their power station was over fun by flood waters in New York
Source: Reuters
Flood waters surround a ConEd truck outside a power plant in New York
Source: Reuters
People empty a flooded basement on 23rd street during a blackout in Chelsea believed to be caused by rising river waters as Hurricane Sandy made its approach in New York
Source: Reuters
A man looks down a flooded street in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York
Source: Reuters
A man in snorkelling gear wades through the flooded streets of Brooklyn, New York
Source: Reuters
Flood waters surround a car parked on a street in Hoboken, New Jersey
Source: Reuters
A construction vehicle drives through the flooded streets of the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn New York
Source: Reuters
A local resident navigates the flooded streets of the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Source: Reuters
