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Urgent Warnings as Hurricane Sandy Strengthens and Heads to Northeast Urgent Warnings as Hurricane Sandy Strengthens and Heads to Northeast
(about 1 hour later)
With forecasts showing Hurricane Sandy and another powerful storm system likely to collide with devastating effect somewhere on the Eastern Seaboard as early as Sunday evening, tens of millions of people began to make preparations, and authorities increased the urgency of their warnings. More than 50 million people from the mid-Atlantic to New England braced Saturday for a potentially massive storm, as Hurricane Sandy continued to churn northward on a collision course with another storm system that is sweeping in from the west.
Several states, including New York and New Jersey, declared emergencies, and thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas. In the New York City area, officials made contingency plans to begin shutting down the subways and the regional rail lines starting at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas along the coast, governors across the region declared states of emergency, and federal officials issued urgent warnings for people to prepare, saying that the storm’s impact would stretch inland all the way to the Ohio Valley.
And President Obama consulted with the leaders of the federal agencies that are monitoring the storm and will respond when it moves ashore. Governors in nine states deployed more than 60,000 National Guard troops to assist the local authorities. While computer tracking models showed the center of Hurricane Sandy likely to make landfall late Monday evening or early Tuesday, the director of the National Hurricane Center, Rick Knabb, said that the weather was expected to worsen well before then, with high winds and heavy rainsstarting to batter the region as early as Sunday night. The exact path of the storm remained unclear, complicating preparation efforts. Federal officials, in a briefing with reporters on Saturday afternoon, said they could not say for certain where the impact would be the worst — only that it would be major. More than 60,000 National Guard troops in nine states were ready to assist the local authorities.
Federal authorities said the weather conditions would deteriorate long before the center of the storm makes landfall, and that damage from flooding, snow and wind could extend into the Ohio Valley. In New York City, officials announced contingency plans to begin shutting down the subways and regional rail lines starting at 7 p.m. Sunday, a decision they will make only if it looks like storm surges will be severe. They also announced plans to close the bridges if there were sustained winds over 60 miles per hour.
At a news conference on Saturday morning, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said that power could be out for more than a week if the current forecasts hold, and he urged the state’s residents not to dismiss the warnings. “We should not underestimate the impact of this storm,” he said. “We have to be prepared for the worst here.” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City told residents to stay out of city parks starting on Sunday and to stock up on basic supplies. All construction was ordered to be suspended starting on Saturday night.
From Plymouth, Me., to Cape Hatteras, N.C., people boarded up windows; stocked up on water, batteries and food; and prepared to hunker down. Airlines encouraged people with flights scheduled in the next few days to change their plans and waived cancellation fees. On Long Island, the Town of Islip ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents in low-lying areas, including Fire Island, by Sunday afternoon. Similar evacuation orders were issued in other coastal areas across the region.From Plymouth, Me., to Cape Hatteras, N.C., residents boarded up windows; stocked up on water, batteries and food; and prepared to hunker down. Airlines encouraged people with flights scheduled in the next few days to change their plans and waived cancellation fees.
At supply stores across the region, generators and other supplies were snapped up in preparation for the possibility of extended power failures. At supply stores across the region, generators and other goodswere snapped up in preparation for the possibility of extended power failures.
There were also fears of widespread flooding inland. Sandbags joined the Halloween scarecrows along Main Street in Hightstown, N.J., on Saturday as business owners that suffered flood damage during Hurricane Irene last year braced themselves. Sandbags joined the Halloween scarecrows along Main Street in Hightstown, N.J., on Saturday as business owners that suffered flood damage during Hurricane Irene last year braced themselves.
Basem Hassan, who opened a coffee shop, Roasting Post Cafe, a few doors down from the fire station there just two weeks ago, spent Saturday putting his most valuable belongings — a coffee roaster and furniture — atop more replaceable equipment like kitchen shelves. “This is to minimize headache,” he said. Basem Hassan, who opened a coffee shop, Roasting Post Cafe, a few doors down from the fire station there just two weeks ago, spent Saturday putting his most valuable belongings — a coffee roaster and furniture — atop more replaceable equipment like kitchen shelves. “This is to minimize headache,” he said.Experts cautioned that even if Hurricane Sandy decreased in strength, it would remain a danger because of the unusual convergence of several weather systems.
In New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg told residents to stay out of city parks starting on Sunday and to stock up on basic supplies. All construction was ordered to be suspended starting on Saturday night.
“This is a large, unpredictable storm, so be prepared for possible outages,” Mr. Bloomberg said at a news conference on Friday afternoon.
Officials prepared for a possible shutdown of the subway and regional rail system, depending on the path the storm will take. A final decision will not be made until Sunday, but officials said that if it looks like New York would be hit by storm surges more than four feet, they would stop all Long Island Railroad and Metro-North service at 7 p.m. If they decide to shut down the subway system as well, the trains would also stop running at 7 p.m., with all cars off the tracks by 3 a.m. on Sunday.
If sustained winds exceed 60 miles per hour, officials said, the bridges leading in and out of the city would be shut down too.
On Long Island, there was an added urgency because computer models showed that it was within the predicted landfall zone. The Town of Islip ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents in low-lying areas, including Fire Island, by Sunday afternoon.
The hurricane was forecast to make landfall between the Delmarva Peninsula and Long Island, with its path shifting hourly. But as the storm continue to churn its way north, it began to spread out, with tropical-force winds extending about 450 miles from its center of the storm. On Saturday, the hurricane was moving slowly north of the Bahamas and was about 300 miles east of Charleston, S.C.
Forecasters cautioned that predictions could change, but it seemed likely that the Northeast would be facing a storm of great magnitude.
Rick Knabb, the director of the National Hurricane Center, said the intensity of the storm was unlikely to change, and he warned that weather conditions will become dangerous long before the storm’s center makes landfall. “The center of circulation is only going to be a very small part of the story,” he said. “This is not just going to be a coastal event,” Dr. Knabb said. People from Virginia northward should be prepared for a “long-duration event.” Experts cautioned that even if Hurricane Sandy decreased in strength, it would remain a danger because of the unusual convergence of several weather systems.
A system known as a midlatitude trough — which often leads to severe winter storms — is moving across the country from the west. It is expected to draw in Hurricane Sandy, giving it added energy. A burst of arctic air is expected to sweep down through the Canadian plains just as those two storms are converging. That could lead to several feet of snow in West Virginia and lighter amounts in parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as a deluge of rain along the coast.A system known as a midlatitude trough — which often leads to severe winter storms — is moving across the country from the west. It is expected to draw in Hurricane Sandy, giving it added energy. A burst of arctic air is expected to sweep down through the Canadian plains just as those two storms are converging. That could lead to several feet of snow in West Virginia and lighter amounts in parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as a deluge of rain along the coast.
The full moon on Monday could cause even greater flooding because tides would be at their peak.The full moon on Monday could cause even greater flooding because tides would be at their peak.

Brian Stelter contributed reporting from New Jersey, and Colin Moynihan from New York.

The hurricane was forecast to make landfall at some point between the Delmarva Peninsula and Long Island. But as the storm continued to churn north, it began to spread out, with tropical-force winds extending about 450 miles from its center. On Saturday, the hurricane was still moving slowly north and had yet to make its predicted eastward swing, at which point it will likely become clearer where it will make landfall.
Forecasters cautioned that the course of the storms could change, but officials from the National Hurricane Center said that it was no longer a question of if the storms would converge – but where and with how much force.
Dr. Knabb of the National Hurricane Center, said the storm’s intensity was unlikely to change, and he warned that weather conditions would become dangerous long before landfall. “The center of circulation is only going to be a very small part of the story,” he said. “This is not just going to be a coastal event,” Dr. Knabb said. People from Virginia northward should be prepared for a “long-duration event.”
Utility companies across the region were rushing to put crews in place to deal with power failures, which state officials warned could be extensive and long-lasting. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey told residents that they should be prepared to go 7 to 10 days without electricity.
Maureen Smith, 70, and her husband Jim Dugan, 76, have been through hurricanes before, but on Saturday they were evacuated Saturday from their apartment in North Wildwood, on the southern shore of New Jersey.
Ms. Smith said they calmly packed up a few treasured possessions, including a glass bowl her son had made for her, and drove to Philadelphia, where they own a second home.
“There was a sense of worry because we do believe this will be serious,” she said.
With forecasters predicting this storm to be much worse than Hurricane Irene, which caused $15 billion in damage, many people were taking no chances.
Bob Parise of North Wantagh, on Long Island, was scouring the aisles of the Ace Hardware store.
“We learned our lesson from Irene and are better prepared,” he said. “I’ve got the generator and the gas. Now I’m just worried about the roof because coastal storm damage won’t be covered under the insurance.”

Reporting was contributed by Brian Stelter from New Jersey, Colin Moynihan from New York, Jon Hurdle from Philadelphia and Angela Macropoulos from Long Island.