Hurricane Sandy 2012, winter storm hybrid, dubbed a "Frankenstorm" by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is on track to the East Coast as of Monday afternoon.
Hurricane Sandy has already slammed Cuba, bringing heavy rain and winds around 110 miles per hour on Thursday, as it moved north. By Friday morning, the death toll had already risen across the Caribbean.
The 900-mile wide storm's front edge sent tide-enhanced surges over boardwalks from Delaware to New York a full 12 hours before Sandy's eye was to make landfall.
Widespread evacuations along the coast were ordered, mass transit was shut down in major metropolitan areas and some 60 million people live in the path of the mega-storm and many likely face power outages in the coming hours and days.
The National Grid, which provides power to millions of customers, said 60 million people could be affected.
As of Monday afternoon, 116,000 customers were without power in seven states. Hundreds of thousands of people have abandoned their homes.
Forecasters warned that the New York City region could face the worst of the hurricane. As of midday Monday, the storm was centered about 260 miles south-southeast of New York City, moving to the north at 18 mph with hurricane-force winds extending an incredible 175 miles from its center. The National Hurricane Center said early Monday the storm has intensified, with top sustained winds of 90 mph and higher gusts. Sandy has already been blamed for 69 deaths in the Caribbean before it began traveling northward, parallel to the Eastern Seaboard.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Sunday ordered the evacuation of 375,000 people from low-lying areas in New York City. Residents of the city's "Zone A" area are ordered to leave by 7 p.m. Sunday. This area includes Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Red Hook and other areas along the East River in Brooklyn; all of the Rockaways, Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel in Queens; nearly all of the coastal areas of Staten Island; some patches of the South Bronx; and Battery Park City and portions of Lower Manhattan.
Google has set up set up a crisis map for people on the East Coast preparing for Hurricane Sandy which includes live updates and coverage on the Hurricane.
