Officials are estimating at least 50 homes have been destroyed as a fire ravages a flooded Queens.
An explosion at a Con-Ed power plant is caught on CCTV camera in New York City. Credit: TrillianMedia.
Vehicles are submerged during a storm surge near the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Source: AP
SUPERSTORM Sandy has smashed into the American northeast, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and lower Manhattan under water. Conditions remain dangerous as this one-of-a-kind storm moves inland.
Live updates, photos, news and alerts will be posted here as they come to hand.
8.55pm: Authorities now say the latest Sandy emergency has drowned three towns in almost two metres of water.
The situation is so urgent and confused that they are not yet sure if a failed levy or a burst dam was the cause of the sudden and unexpected inundation. Thousands are being rescued, but there is not yet any word of casualties. Boats and high trucks are being used to get people to safety.
8.20pm: Thousands of people may be in need of rescue after the collapse of a dam in New Jersey.
CNN reports that authorities are conducting rescues from homes in three New Jersey towns and that the break occurred after midnight in the town of Moonachie.
Rescues are under way in Moonachie, Little Ferry, and Carlstadt. Bergen County Police Chief of Staff Jeanne Baratta says thousands of people may need to be rescued.
8.10pm: Images have emerged of medical workers moving patients from New York University's Tisch Hospital after the backup generator failed.
Medical workers assist a patient into an ambulance during an evacuation of New York University's Tisch Hospital. Picture: AP Source: AP
Medical workers assist a patient into an ambulance during an evacuation of New York University Tisch Hospital, after its backup generator failed. Picture: AP Source: AP
8.06pm: The New York Fire Department has said on its Twitter page that more than 50 homes had been "completely destroyed" by the six-alarm blaze.
7.55pm: Another image has emerged of the fire in the New York burough of Queens.
A fire burns at least two dozen homes in a flooded neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. Picture: AP Source: AP
7.45pm: Have a look at these amazing before and after sliders from the streets of New York.
7.25pm: A fire has destroyed at least two dozen homes in a flooded neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens.
A fire department spokesman says more than 190 firefighters are at the blaze in the Breezy Point section. He says two people have suffered minor injuries.
Firefighters are battling a widespread fire in the Breezy Point of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. Picture: Nbcnewyork.com Source: Supplied
7.16pm: How should we talk to our kids about disasters like Superstorm Sandy?
Kidspot parenting expert Dr. Justin Coulson gives his advice.
6.50pm: The missing captain of the HMS Bounty replica thought he could navigate around Hurricane Sandy. After two days in rough seas, Robin Walbridge posted on Facebook: "I think we are going to be into this for several days. We are just going to keep trying to go fast."
The ship went town on Monday morning, one crew member died and Walbridge is still missing.
Flooding and downed trees as Sandy rips across the eastern US. Julie Noce reports.
6.35pm: "The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night,'' said Joseph Lhota, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
6.20pm: Sandy has closed casinos, sent cars bobbing down Wall Street and forced David Letterman to perform to an empty studio. Check out 30 amazing facts about the superstorm.
5.21pm: VIDEO has emerged of the massive power station explosion that plunged Manhattan into darkness and left 250,000 people without power.
This image from video provided by Dani Hart shows what appears to be a transformer exploding in lower Manhattan as seen from a building rooftop from the Navy Yard in Brooklyn. Picture: AP Source: AP
5.19pm: Reports say there are 6,535,896 customers without power across 13 states.
5.15pm: A scene from the streets of New York - without power.
Power outage seen in Manhattan. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
5.05pm: Sandy could displace urban rats, spread infectious diseases, the Huff Post reports.
5pm: Disaster-modeling company Eqecat says Sandy will cost insurers between $5 and $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports.
4.55pm: Seven New York subway tunnels and six bus garages have been closed because of flooding in ''the worst disaster for city transport in a century'', the network's chief said. He said it will take up to four days to get flood water out of NY subway tunnels.
4.50pm: The number of outages has topped 80,000 in Maine as the outer fringe of a massive storm whips the state with massive wind gusts.
4:22pm: After water lapped over the seawall in Battery Park City, flooding rail yards, subway tracks, tunnels and roads, locals said New York now looks like a ''ghost town''.
"It's really a complete ghost town now," said Stephen Weisbrot, from a powerless 10th-floor apartment in lower Manhattan.
While the city's residents struggle through the night with widespread power blackouts, AFL footballer Lance Franklin has assured fans he is safe and well in the Big Apple.
A flooded street, caused by Hurricane Sandy in the Financial District of New York. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
4:08pm: New York's Bellevue Hospital Center is currently using emergency backup power after its basement flooded, CNN reports.
Meanwhile, Consolidated Edison power station said the outages in Manhattan could last for up to a week, Reuters reports.
3:34pm: A New York City hospital is moving out more than 200 patients after its backup generator failed when the power was knocked out by the superstorm.
Dozens of ambulances lined up outside NYU Tisch Hospital as doctors and nurses began the slow process of taking people out.
Several buildings in Rockaway Park in Queens are on fire, according to a local ABC station in New York. Reports suggest all residents have been moved to safety.
3:15pm: Eerie photo of the Empire State building, said to be one of few with its lights still on.
@Sharonfeder: "Power's off in the area but the Empire State Building lights are on" Picture:Twitter via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/RYxLr7uhF4/ Source: Twitter
Check out our gallery of Superstorm Sandy pictures posted on social media websites.
State-by-state tallies by US media show some six million American households without power.
3:05pm: Floodwaters in Lower Manhattan peaked at over 13 feet high, according to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"Storm surge peaked at 13.88 ft at the Battery. Now 9.81 ft & going down. Power outages and other serious issues remain #NYC #Sandy," the mayor tweeted.
3:02pm: The New York Stock Exchange is said to be testing a back up system which could allow for trading to resume, according to The Wall Street Journal.
2:59pm: Talk show hosts David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon haven't let the storm stop them from doing what they do best, though Sandy has kept audiences away with both comedians reportedly taping shows without audiences.
Watch the video here.
2:51pm: Greenwich in Connecticut has reportedly taken "a pounding" from the storm which has turned its streets into rivers and winds that have left a trail of destruction, according to greenwichtime.com.
2.48pm: There are now 13 confirmed deaths from the storm, the latest an eight-year-old boy struck by a tree limb in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
Local officials in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina reported 12 dead from the massive storm system, and Toronto police said a Canadian woman was killed by flying debris.
Also, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the mayor of Hoboken in New Jersey has called in the National Guard to help rescue people stranded by the floodwaters.
2:37pm: A nuclear power plant in New Jersey is on alert from the mega-storm as water passed a minimum level but no safety concerns were reported, the US nuclear regulator said.
2:25pm: Watch as the facade of a building in Chelsea collapses.
Fox News reports on the chaos that Sandy has left in New York and Manhattan's Chelsea district. Source Fox News
1.56pm: Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has spoken of his expectations as the storm approaches. "Sandy is going to come over Maryland, she's going to sit on top of Maryland and beat on Maryland for a good 24 to 36 hours,'' he said from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency in Reisterstown. "There will be people who die and are killed in this storm.''
1.52pm: Mayor Dawn Zimmer of the New York city of Hoboken has told CNN: "About half our city is flooded right now."
Instagram user andjelicaaa posted this: "Jane's carousel is basically an island now. Poor horses." Picture: http://instagram.com/p/RYtQghtKAu/ Source: Supplied
1.46pm: "It's going to be a long-duration event,'' Rick Knabb, National Hurricane Center director, warned at an afternoon briefing. Extensive flooding continues to afflict Manhattan, with reports of a large number of fires in New York being started by falling power lines.
1.43pm: Low-lying Sea Gate, Brooklyn, has been hit especially hard. According to the Twitter of the Central Hatzalah, EMS ambulance corps, 20 people are trapped due to Hurricane Sandy and surging waters that reached up to six stories. The Office of Emergency Management has sent boats to rescue the trapped individuals.
1.40pm: Don't think the worst is over yet. The National Weather Service has warned of further "historic and life-threatening coastal flooding'' along the New York and Connecticut coasts. It looks certain that Sandy's impact will continue through US Election Day next Tuesday and beyond.
Consolidated Edision trucks are submerged on 14th Street near the ConEd power plant. Large sections of Manhattan have been plunged into darkness by the storm. Source: AP
1.34pm: Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter has said he expects flooding of up to 3 metres. All mass transit systems have been shut down, he said.
1.32pm: Ten deaths have so far been confirmed. The deaths have been in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Police in Toronto said a woman was killed by a falling sign as high winds closed in on Canada's largest city.
1:30pm: Mayor Bloomberg has addressed the media, urging people to remain safe. He said power outages were expected to last at least into tomorrow. " Do not go outside. Conditions are extremely dangerous. Please stay where you are until the storm passes. Stay off of the roads. We need to keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles. I know things have gotten tough for NYC tonight. We are going to get through this together, as New Yorkers always do."
1.24pm: New Yorkers describe their plans to ride out the storm.
1.20pm: NRL star Johnathan Thurston talks about"sh*tting bricks" while being trapped in the storm.
1.16pm: Patients and staff are being evacuated from the New York University hospital after backup power generators failed, Mayor Bloomberg has told the media.
1.09pm: The United States national weather service has announced that high tide has passed and water levels are now beginning to fall in Lower Manhattan. "The storm surge along with high tide that resulted in historic water levels has started to recede in New York Harbor and will start shortly along Southern Brooklyn and Southern Queens".
1.04pm: Celebrities are tweeting their thoughts on Superstorm Sandy.
12.58pm: At least two deaths in New Jersey have been linked to the Hurricane Sandy. Authorities in Morris County said the two people died after a tree fell on their car Monday evening in Mendham Township.
12.52pm: Incredible images now emerging of the Ground Zero memorial site flooding.
Sea water floods the Ground Zero construction site as Sandy wreaks havoc in Manhattan. Source: AP
12.40pm: Superstorm Sandy is sending floodwaters pouring into Lower Manhattan as parts of New York City were plunged into darkness by widespread power outages.
A New York power company has confirmed that some 250,000 customers are without power in Manhattan. Pretty much everyone south of 39th to Battery is out, the company tweeted.
The East River and the Hudson River flooded subway and car tunnels, and several feet of seawater swamped into Battery Park at the foot of Lower Manhattan, with waters rising and rain showing no sign of abating.
A car is submerged in the Dumbo section of the Brooklyn borough of New York, as the East River overflows. Source: AP
"Lower Manhattan is being covered by seawater. I am not exaggerating. Sea water is rushing into the Battery Tunnel," said Howard Glaser, director of operations for the New York state government.
The Battery Tunnel is a road tunnel linking the south end of Manhattan, New York's financial center, to Long Island under the East River.
Vehicles are submerged near the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel as Superstorm Sandy zeroes in on New York's waterfront with fierce rain and winds. Source: AP
Cars could be seen floating in several Manhattan streets and local broadcaster WNBC said some houses on Staten Island were "flooded up to their attics" while the New York police department sought boats to conduct rescue missions there and on Brooklyn's Coney Island.
Meanwhile Connecticut Governor Dan Molloy said thousands are now trapped by rising floodwaters.
"Our worst fears are being reached due to flooding. It is evident that some shoreline towns did not evacuate their residents to Category 4 levels. Thousands of people are trapped by rising water. This is a Katrina-like warning we are issuing to people," he said.
12:26pm: New York officials have reportedly confirmed the death of five people (three children in Westchester, one death in Ulster, one death in Queens).
12:21pm: Authorities have as yet been unable to confirm or deny reports that a floating house has destroyed Mantoloking Bridge, New Jersey.
New Jersey Governor Christie has tweeted: "The Turnpike is now closed between Woodbridge and Newark. Please stay off the roads and out of harms way"
12:19pm: A woman was killed by a falling sign in Toronto, Canada, police said.
12:15pm: There are reports that New York's subway system is starting to flood. Images are circulating on Instagram and Twitter showing surveillance camera footage of water rushing down stairways into subterranean platforms.
Stormwater rushes into the Hoboken platform. Image: ap973/Instagram Source: Supplied
12:08pm: "Lower Manhattan is being covered with seawater. I am not exaggerating," says Howard Glaser, director of operations for state of NY. "Seawater is rushing into the Battery tunnel." - @hglaser1
12:03pm: Foreign minister Bob Carr has warned Australians in New York and nearby areas to take no risks as the monster storm Sandy hits the US east coast.
Senator Carr says there are almost three thousand Australians known to be living or travelling the areas the storm is likely to hit.
But the federal government believes there are probably about 24 thousand more who have not registered with consular services.
Australia's consulate in New York has shut but its staff are still in city while staff in Washington have been sent home.
Senator Carr says the consular offices may not reopen until Wednesday US time.
Australians concerned about relatives or friends in the US can call the consular emergency centre on 1300 555 135.
The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel is flooding. Picture: MTA Bridges and Tunnels / Flikr Source: Supplied
11:58am: New York's tunnel system are starting to fill with water. Pictures released by the company managing the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (Brooklyn Battery Tunnel) show water surging through the abandoned roadway. The Queens-Midtown tunnel has been closed.
Authorities also feared the surge of seawater could damage the underground electrical and communications lines in lower Manhattan that are vital to the nation's financial center. The power has been turned off to the area to prevent shorting and fires.
PiFlooding on the lower-east side of Manhattan. Picture: HobokenGirlBlog/Twitter Source: Supplied
11.37am: There are reports on Twitter that the Fire Department Headquarters in Grand Street is being evacuated by boat due to high water.
11.25am: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said Halloween festivities needn't be interrupted by the storm.
"If conditions are not safe on Wednesday for Trick or Treating, I will sign an Executive Order rescheduling #Halloween," he tweeted.
11.16am: The New York Times is reporting the death of a man in Queens from the superstorm.
The 30-year-old reportedly died when a tree hit his house in 166th Street in East Flushing in Queens. His death is thought to be the first reported fatality from Superstorm Sandy.
Much of lower Manhatten is in darkness. Picture: nicksummers/Instagram Source: Supplied
11.05am: The New York Fire Department has tweeted that a commercial building on city Island Avenue has caught fire.
"BX 2-ALARM CITY ISLAND AVE, COMMERCIAL FIRE ON 1ST FLR," the Fire Department tweeted.
Meanwhile, the crane dangling from a 90-storey building has begun to buckle.
RAW FOOTAGE: Hurricane Sandy is pushing forward to New York already causing destruction as this construction crane is left hanging in peril.
And the superstorm is having an impact on the final days of campaigning for the US presidency.
10.40am: Reports from the scene of the collapsed building at 92nd Street indicate the Fire Department was able to get all the residents out of the building safely.
Firefighters rescue residents after a building partially collapses on Eighth Avenue. Picture: Brian Trombley/Twitter Source: Supplied
Some residents said the same thing happened 20 years ago, Meg Robertson, a producer at Huffington Post, reported.
10.20am: Forecasters say Sandy is no longer a hurricane but is still a dangerous system taking dead aim at New Jersey and Delaware.
The US National Hurricane Center said that Sandy is a post-tropical storm and losing strength but still has sustained winds at 136 km. The eye has almost made landfall.
The center says storm surge has reached heights of 3.8 meters at Kings Point, New York.
10.06am: The New York Fire Department are reporting a building has collapsed in Manhattan.
"MAN 2-ALARM 92 8TH AVE, MULTIPLE DWELLING BUILDING COLLAPSE," the fire department tweeted.
Meanwhile Mayor Michael Bloomberg said people should stay inside for their own safety.
"NYC is still very much within the danger zone of this storm. The wind poses a danger to anyone who is outdoors. Please stay inside #Sandy," he tweeted.
9:45am: One of the two people missing after a tall ship sank off the US coast in seas whipped up by Hurricane Sandy has been found, but is unresponsive. The US Coast Guard said crews were taking 42-year-old Claudene Christian to hospital. The Coast Guard is still searching for the captain of the HMS Bounty.
Crew from the Bounty are plucked from furious seas by the US Coastguard.
9:30am: Put yourself in the storm. Tour these 360-degree images of New York waiting for the full force of the storm to arrive.
- New York harbour esplanade
- New York's empty streets
9.13am: Broadway's 40 theatres are dark after producers chose to keep them closed as Hurricane Sandy took aim at New York City.
The Broadway League on Monday afternoon extended the cancelations of such shows as The Book of Mormon, Once and Mama Mia! for another day, citing safety precautions and the suspension of the city's public transport system.
Charlotte St. Martin, head of the league, expects normal operations to resume Wednesday morning.
Refunds will be made available from the point of purchase. Most Broadway shows were already dark on Monday night, but the loss of Tuesday's revenue will hurt.
9:07am: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has tweeted: "You are going to be shocked when you see the images coming out of the Jersey Shore. "
9am: New York Mayor Bloomberg has told residents '"The worst of it is about to hit" in a news conference a short time ago, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has tweeted "I hope and pray there will not be a loss of life because of people's decisions to stay". "all bldgs on 57th btw 6th and 7th ave and exposed bldgs on 56th have been evacuated due to crane. sorry for the inconvenience," the mayor said.
New Jersey's Governor Christie issued an angry rebuke to Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford for allowing people to shelter at schools in that community rather than evacuate. Christie said many are now flooded and stuck. "For those elected officials who decided to ignore my admonition, this is now your responsibility," Christie said
8:31am: Insurers are bracing for damages of up to $5 billion after Hurricane Sandy has passed. Retailers expected shrunken sales, and airlines expect thousands more flights to be cancelled. Preliminary estimates are that damage will range between $10 billion and $20 billion. That could top last year's Hurricane Irene, which cost $US15.8 billion. If so, Hurricane Sandy would be among the 10 most costly hurricanes in US history. But it would still be far below the worst - Hurricane Katrina, which cost $108 billion and caused 1200 deaths in 2005.
8:26am: Emergency crews in Atlantic County, Philadelphia, have been ordered to stay off the roads and in shelter as the full force of the storm strikes the region.
8:19am: Hurricane Sandy, By the Numbers
THE HURRICANE
- As of mid afternoon on Monday, winds were reaching 144km/h
- Sandy was moving northwest at 45km/h
- Winds of tropical force extend almost 804km from Sandy's centre
- Central barometric pressure reached a record low for the Northeast, 940 millibars, indicating a lot of energy and wind potential
HUMAN RESPONSE
- More than 7000 flights have been grounded
- Some 375,000 people were told to evacuate in New York City
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has about 490,000 meals in place in the northeast, along with more than 567,811 litres of water
PREDICTIONS
- The storm could leave up to a metre of snow in mountainous areas of West Virginia
- Storm surges in Long Island Sound and New York Harbor could reach up to three metres above ground. Between Long Island Sound and the Delmarva Peninsula, which includes parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, surges could reach up to 2.4 metres above ground level
- Gale force winds are expected for nearly one-third of the nation, as far west as Ohio
8:15am: Winds gusts of up to 188km/h have been reported on top of Mount Washington.
8:10am: The Wall St Journal is reporting the storm water surge appears to peaking in Lower Manhattan at about 2.2m.
Huffington Post reporter Craig Kanalley took this photo of tree damage near his home in Brooklyn. Picture: Craig Kanalley Source: Supplied
8:02am: Media is reporting between 900,000 and 750,000 properties are without power on the US east coast. The US Department of Energy official figures posted two hours ago that placed the number at 316,500 in New Jersey and New York.
Emergency services workers try to keep the public away from high waves in Brooklyn. Picture: Craig Kanalley Source: Supplied
7:55am: Hurricane Sandy is morphing from a hurricane into a hybrid storm as it moves towards land, US authorities say. The change on Monday signals a more diffuse storm that will be bigger and sloppier. National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said Sandy was beginning to lose its tropical nature as it merged with a cold weather system that was dumping snow in West Virginia. Sandy has been among the largest hurricanes. Meteorologist Jeff Masters said that as a hybrid, Sandy's damage would be even wider, but less intense. Its force would extend as far as Chicago, where the National Weather Service already has issued high wind warnings and a lakeshore flood warning.
7:42am: Social media is supplying a rapid stream of images from the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. But some of those that have gone "viral" are fake, old, or simply out of context. Mashable has put together a shame list of the top five fake hurricane photos currently circulating.
7.30am: Social network sites are being used by looters to incite raids - known as "flash mob robberies" - on shops and facilities once Hurricane Sandy makes landfall.
Infowars.com reports National Guard troops have been mobilised in New York as a result.
7:25am: The strongest blast of wind yet recorded for Hurricane Sandy has been recorded in Westerly, Rhode Island. It topped 138km h.
7:16am: A total of 8962 flights have been grounded on the United States east coast as a result of the superstorm. The number of flights cancelled is only expected to grow as airlines monitor the duration and reach of the hurricane. Airlines are offering passengers the ability to change their flight times without charge.
7:12am: Hurricane Sandy is now reported as being 89km east-south-east of Cape May, New Jersey. It is moving west-north-west at 45km/h. That places landfall at about 9:15am AEST.
6.45am: Not even the biggest storm ever to hit the US east coast had the power to shut down the presidential campaign, eight days out from polling day.
But it posed a unique problem for the opposing candidates' teams:how to make political mileage without looking like you're trying to?
People walk down a flooded street as Hurricane Sandy moves up the coast near Atlantic City, New Jersey.Picture: Mario Tama Source: AFP
6.24am: WCBS-TV has more on the partial crane collapse above the streets of Manhattan. (See Piers Morgan's tweet below). "The call came in around 2.30pm Monday (5.30am AEDT) at the building on West 57th Street. The top of the crane, about 75-storeys up, could be seen dangling down from the luxury building," the station said.
It said the fire department was on the scene and the streets had been cleared below.
6.18am: The US Coast Guard has released images of the rescue of 14 people from a stricken replica of the HMS Bounty. Sadly, two people are still missing from the ship's crew. You can read more here.
In this image made from video and released by the US Coast Guard, a USCG crew member uses a hoist to bring up a Bounty survivor into a helicopter. Picture: AP Source: AP
6.07am: A crane in Midtown Manhattan was buckled and left dangling dangerously over the city's streets.
Part of a crane boom is seen hanging off a building under construction on West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City. Picture: Allison Joyce Source: AFP
6.03am: Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy is speeding up and should make landfall early Monday evening (later today AEDT) in southern New Jersey. It is currently 3.03pm Monday in New Jersey.
The National Hurricane Centre said the storm's top sustained winds were holding at near 150km/h, with higher gusts.
The storm's centre was about 180km southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and headed northwest at 44km/h.
Sandy is on track to collide with a wintry storm moving in from the west and cold air streaming down from the Arctic. The combination superstorm could menace some 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the US, from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.
5.58am: The Wall Street Journal has this advice from someone who voluntarily chases hurricanes: "Don't panic. This is not Armageddon, just a bad nor'easter. We've seen these before."
5.46am: If you'd like to see Hurricane Sandy from the point of view of The New York Times, click here for the view from the 51st floor of their tower in Midtown Manhattan.
An Ocean City police SUV drives past some of the benches that have been washed from their bolted down positions on the Ocean City boardwalk, in Ocean City, Del. Picture: Alex Brandon Source: AP
5.42am: New York City Mayor Bloomberg has said about 3000 people and 73 pets have made their way to city-run hurricane shelters.
And had some words of advice for pet owners fleeing the storm, the New York Post reports.
"Don't leave your pet at home, because you don't know when you can get back," he said. "Take your pet with you."
5.30am: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been typically blunt about what to do if in an evacuation zone: "Don't be stupid. Get out." Read more here.
5.20am: Nearly 12,000 flights have been grounded as Hurricane Sandy thwarted travel up and down the US East Coast and airlines warned it could be days before normal schedules resume.
That number is expected to grow as the slow-moving "Frankenstorm" churns its way up the coast whipping up strong winds, heavy rains and thick snow once it encounters a cold front coming down from Canada.
Pablo Gomez decided to drive the 1300 kilometres from New York to Chicago after his 6am Monday flight was cancelled.
"The drive is exhausting, but they said I might not get back until Thursday," Mr Gomez, 41, said.
5.01am: Airlines have cancelled thousands of flights and stranded travelers. Insurers braced for damages of up to $US5 billion ($4.8 billion). Retailers expected shrunken sales.
Hurricane Sandy is causing disruptions for companies, travellers and consumers. But for the overall US economy, damage from the storm will likely be limited. And any economic growth lost to the storm in the short run will likely be restored once reconstruction begins, analysts say.
Preliminary estimates are that damage will range between $US10 billion and $US20 billion. That could top last year's Hurricane Irene, which cost $US15.8 billion.
If so, Hurricane Sandy would be among the 10 most costly hurricanes in US history. But it would still be far below the worst - Hurricane Katrina, which cost $US108 billion and caused 1200 deaths in 2005.
"Assuming the storm simply disrupts things for a few days and it doesn't do significant damage to infrastructure, then I don't think it will have a significant national impact," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said.
4.58am: From NASA: "Hurricane Sandy was viewed Monday morning from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles (420km) above the Atlantic Ocean. Sandy had sustained winds of 90 miles an hour (145km/h) as the station passed above the storm."
4.53am: Hurricane Sandy is likely to cause the closure of two nuclear reactors in New Jersey, Reuters says.
4.48am: The US Supreme Court remained open for arguments today but will be shut from 5am AEDT, and will not open tomorrow, the Washington Post reports.
4.27am: The New York Stock Exchange said it would remain shut down for a second day on Tuesday as Hurricane Sandy bore down on the city, threatening high winds and flooding.
"We intend to re-open our US markets on Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012, conditions permitting; updates will be provided tomorrow," exchange operator NYSE Euronext said in a statement.
The floor of the New York Stock Exchange is empty of traders. Picture: AP Source: AP
4.24am: Two people are still believed missing after a replica of the HMS Bounty was reported sunk off North Carolina. Read more here.
4.22am: New York City Marathon organisers expect Sunday's race to run with little effect from Hurricane Sandy.
New York Road Runners President Mary Wittenberg said "we have time on our side" - enough time to prepare the race course and for runners to travel to the city after the superstorm passes through.
She says NYRR has contingency plans every year to adjust to any damage from bad weather.
3.52am: President Barack Obama says Sandy is going to be a "big and powerful storm" with the potential for fatalities, and urged people to listen to local authorities particularly when they are requested to evacuate.
President Obama said millions would be effected by Hurricane Sandy. Earlier the president declared a state of emergency in the states or New York and Massachusetts.
He said he was not concerned about next week's scheduled presidential election: "At this point I'm not worried about the impact on the election; I'm worried about the impact on families," he said.
"The election will take care of itself next week. Right now the number one priority is that we're saving lives."
3.36am: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is curtailing his campaign schedule as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the Eastern seaboard, canceling planned appearances Monday night and all day Tuesday.
Campaign officials say vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan will also scrap campaign rallies during the same time frame.
The decision was announced a short while after President Barack Obama canceled a planned rally in Florida to fly back to Washington, where aides said he would oversee the government's response to the threat posed by the storm.
Romney intends to go ahead with speeches today in Ohio and Iowa before he begins observing his self-imposed storm-related moratorium on campaigning.
The former Massachusetts governor and Obama are locked in a close race, eight days before Election Day.
3.18am: Mayor Bloomberg says it is becoming "too late" to get away from floods from Hurricane Sandy as winds and sea levels rose.
Bloomberg issued a mandatory evacuation order for 375,000 people in zones at risk of floods but few have left their homes in the mainly sea-front districts.
"Conditions are deteriorating very rapidly and the window for getting out safely is closing," Bloomberg told a press conference. "It's getting too late to leave," he added.
Bloomberg said there were 16,000 beds in emergency shelters set up in 76 schools across New York but only 3,000 people and 73 pets had spent Sunday night there.
The mayor said there could be a storm surge of 11-12 feet (3.3-3.6 meters) in southern Manhattan late Monday. The evening high tide could bring waves of 15 to 20 feet (4.5-6.0 meters).
All public transport has been suspended in New York because of the major storm, some major roads in Manhattan had already been closed and two of the three Manhattan island road tunnels were to close at 1800 GMT.
Meanwhile, the New York MTA has posted some amazing pictures of the deserted subway system here.
2.53am: Hurricane Sandy is now the largest tropical storm ever recorded on the northeast coast of North America, Bloomberg News reports. It quotes Rob Carolan, a meteorologist at Hometown Forecast Services Inc. in Nashua, New Hampshire, saying: "The storm is the largest tropical storm in the Atlantic."
Mr Carolan adds: "So many bad things had to come together all at once. It is going to make the 'Perfect Storm' look small. It's remarkable what an impact this is going to have."
2.46am: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced schools will be closed for a second day on Tuesday.
With mass transit expected to remain shut through Tuesday morning, city public schools will remain closed on Tuesday, Mayor Bloomberg said.
"There's no chance that mass transit will be back in time to serve people," he added.
Watch his full update here:
2.35am: The US National Weather Service is reporting 24-foot seas off New Jersey.
2.26am: US President Barack Obama will make televised statement on Hurricane Sandy at 3.45am AEDT.
2.24am: Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has said fatalities are inevitable as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the Mid-Atlantic state with all its force.
"Hurricane Sandy is going to come over Maryland, she's going to sit on top of Maryland and beat down on Maryland for a good 24 to 36 hours," he told reporters at the Maryland emergency coordination headquarters.
"This is going to be a long haul," he said. "The days ahead are going to be difficult. There will be people who die and are killed in this storm."
Mr O'Malley warned of "very high winds" by early Monday afternoon, lengthy power outages in the afternoon and evening, and severe flooding in the countless rivers and streams that feed into the Chesapeake Bay.
Ocean City, on Maryland's easternmost Atlantic coast, is already being lashed by a combination of wind, rain and "very heavy surf," with the resort town's pier sustaining heavy damage, the governor said.
The mandatory evacuation of downtown Ocean City has been completed, he said, and "there are few if any residents left in the town."
2.18am: Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia said on Monday morning that about 150 people had checked into the city's three emergency shelters. Occupants include adults, children, dogs, cats, a turtle and a spider, he said. Read the New York Times' report here.
2.16am: Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy has picked up a little strength and is making a turn toward a projected landfall on or near the southern coast of New Jersey.
The National Hurricane Centre said the storm's top sustained winds had risen to near 150km/h, with higher gusts. The storm's centre is about 415km south-southeast of New York City and expected to make landfall Monday evening or night along or just south of the southern New Jersey coast.
Reminder - you can see the action live from webcams at Times Square, Wall St and Brooklyn Bridge
1.52am: New York state authorities have ordered the closure of two of three key Manhattan road tunnels because of the risk of floods from Hurricane Sandy.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the Holland and Battery tunnels would close from 2pm (5am AEDT). He told a press conference the predicted flood levels from the looming hurricane were "really extraordinary".
Norfolk resident Jack Devnew looks at the water covering a dock as he checks on his boat at a marina near downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Picture: AP Source: AP
1.39am: US President Barack Obama has landed at Andrews Air Force base outside Washington after cancelling campaign events to steer the response to Hurricane Sandy.
Mr Obama touched down after a flight from Florida, an AFP photographer aboard Air Force One said, after the president ditched plans to hold a campaign event with former president Bill Clinton, eight days before election day.
1.29am: Almost 9000 flights have been cancelled so far as a result of Hurricane Sandy, according to the information service flightaware.com.
1.20am: The US Coast Guard has rescued 14 members of a crew forced to abandon the tall ship HMS Bounty caught in Hurricane Sandy off the North Carolina Outer Banks and continued the search for two other crew members.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Brandyn Hill said the crew members were rescued by two Coast Guard helicopters around 6.30 am local time Monday. The survivors were being taken to Air Station Elizabeth City on the North Carolina coast. He had no immediate word on their conditions.
The director of the HMS Bounty Organisation, Tracie Simonin, said the tall ship had left Connecticut last week en route for St Petersburg, Florida.
"They were staying in constant contact with the National Hurricane Centre," she said. "They were trying to make it around the storm."
Petty Officer Hill said an MH60 Jayhawk helicopter from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, arrived at 6.30am and rescued nine crew members who had donned survival suits and boarded 25-foot life boats. They abandoned ship after the HMS Bounty began taking on water and lost propulsion in the storm. A second helicopter arrived a short time later and rescued five other members of the crew.
1.02am: Reporters aboard Air Force One say US President Barack Obama has cancelled a campaign event scheduled for Tuesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to focus on Hurricane Sandy.
12.58am: Google has produced a live map which shows the storm's path, the location of evacuation centres and even local traffic conditions.
12:56am: "This is the worst-case scenario," Louis Uccellini, environmental prediction chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Associated Press.
12.41am: Forecasters say Hurricane Sandy is about 505 kilometres south-southeast of New York City, and the centre of the storm is expected to be near the mid-Atlantic coast on Monday night.
The US National Hurricane Centre said early Monday local time that the storm has top sustained winds of 140km/h, with higher gusts. It is moving toward the north-northwest at 32km/h. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 280 km from the storm's centre.
Sandy is on track to collide with a wintry storm moving in from the west and cold air streaming down from the Arctic.
Major metropolitan areas from Washington to Boston are bracing for what is expected to be a superstorm that could menace some 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the US.
12.23am: Reuters reports that at least 14 of the 17 sailors aboard the abandoned HMS bounty have been rescued off the coast of North Carolina. The crew were rescued using helicopters, the director of the vessel told the news agency.
12.17am: Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy says his state is bracing for a sea surge of up to 11 feet higher than a normal high tide. "This is the most catastrophic event that we have faced and been able to plan for in any of our lifetimes. And we continue to do anything in our power to be ready," he said.
President Barack Obama has cancelled all engagements and flown home to Washington to monitor the storrm's progress. Picture: AP Source: AP
12.13am: Water has breached the seawall at Battery Park City in lower Manhattan, pictures on CNN have shown. A reporter at the scene said he was standing in five inches of water on the boardwalk at the mouth of the Hudson River.
Read more from day one of Superstorm Sandy
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