warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Sandy Makes Landfall In New Jersey

Elizabeth Johnson |
October 29, 2012 | 4:48 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey Monday evening.
Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey Monday evening.
After more than a weekend of preparation and evacuation across the East Coast, flash flooding, fierce winds and rain, the storm that could affect up to 50 million people made landfall Monday in southern New Jersey just after 6 p.m. ET.

As the eye of Sandy - now considered a post-tropical storm - hit land, a 10-foot-high surge swept over the boardwalks, along with 90-mph winds and 30-foot-swells along the coast. The storm is expected to make its way through Pennsylvania and into New York by Wednesday, according to the L.A. Times.

SEE ALSO: How Will Hurricane Sandy Affect The Presidential Race?

Experts predict that New York City may face the worst of the storm, Fox News reported. Authorities warned that New York could be hit with an 11-foot wall of water, which could flood lower Manhattan and cut off electrical and communications lines.

Fox News reports:

Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate in anticipation of the storm, including 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City. At least 50,000 were ordered to evacuate in Delaware alone and 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J., where the city's 12 casinos were forced to shut down for only the fourth time in the 34-year history of legalized gambling there.

Airlines canceled more than 8,962 flights and Amtrak began suspending passenger train service across the Northeast. New York and Philadelphia shut down their subways, buses and commuter trains Sunday night and announced that schools would be closed on Monday. Boston, Washington and Baltimore also called off school. In Washington and New Jersey, Metrorail and PATH train services were canceled.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie urged citizens before the hurricane hit, “Don’t be stupid. Get out,” after declaring a state of emergency Sunday and ordering evacuations of the barrier islands and Atlantic City.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Sandy Forces Mass Evacuations In Mid-Atlantic

Mass-evacuations have led thousands out of their coastal New Jersey homes and into emergency shelters. Some counties have imposed mandatory curfews and issued dire warnings for residents who have not evacuated, a refusal Governor Christie called “stupid and selfish” in a briefing. Many exit routes have already been flooded.

Massive flooding remains the primary threat for New Jersey residents. Atlantic City officials reported Monday afternoon that 85 percent of the city was underwater.

Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate told CBS Monday, “the biggest concern right now are the people in the evacuation areas. They're going to face the most immediate threats with the storm surge.” 

SEE ALSO: Airlines Cancel 4,700 Flights With Hurricane Sandy Looming 

President Obama briefed the nation Monday morning on preparations for the storm, assuring Americans that public safety remains his priority, not the election. He did attempt to offset expectations and potential backlash against the administration, warning that the response could take time.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Sandy Threatens Early Voting In Swing States

“You know, the election will take care of itself next week,” he said. “Right now, our No. 1 priority is to make sure that we’re saving lives, that our search-and-rescue teams are going to be in place, that people are going to get the food, water and shelter they need in case of emergency and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track.”

Read more of Neon Tommy’s coverage of Sandy here.

Reach Executive Producer Elizabeth Johnson here. Follow her on Twitter here.




 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness