Post date: Oct 28, 2012 9:46:8 PM
Residents are ordered to evacuate New Jersey's Point Pleasant as Hurricane Sandy begins to move ashore.
POINT PLEASANT, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 28, 2012) (REUTERS) - Residents of Point Pleasant, New Jersey were ordered to evacuate on Sunday (October 28) as Hurricane Sandy moved closer to shore. Many of them worked on boarding up their windows and preparing for the worst.
"I mean, I've lived in Point Pleasant my whole life and you know, I guess statistically they are saying it is going to hit pretty hardand...going to have a lot of water damage. That is definitely for sure. You can see how quickly it is coming up already and everybody is
anticipating a lot of water," said Don Hughes, a local resident of Point Pleasant.
Several states along the eastern seaboard have declared states of emergency. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered a mandatory evacuation of parts of the city as well as ordered the closure of all public schools on Monday (October 29). New York City's bus, subway and commuter rail systems have also been suspended.
The Obama Administration has estimated that Sandy could affect as many as 50 million people. More than 700 flights, including international ones, were canceled on Sunday (October 28) and nearly 2,500 more were canceled for Monday (October 29), according to FlightAware.com.
Forecasters said Sandy was a rare, hybrid "super storm" created by an Arctic jet stream wrapping itself around a tropical storm, possibly causing up to 12 inches (31 cm) of rain in some areas, as well as heavy snowfall inland.