Hurricane Sandy Bears Down on Eastern US
Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the eastern United States, where forecasters expect the cyclone to combine with two winter weather systems, forming a hybrid "super storm" that could cause widespread devastation.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Craig Fugate, told reporters during a conference call Saturday that the "complex storm" is not just a coastal threat, but will also have impacts well inland.
Officials say the storm will be so large that its torrential rains, high winds and snow could affect the eastern third of the country. The storm is expected to cause significant flooding and power outages.
U.S. President Barack Obama discussed government preparations for the storm Saturday with Fugate, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and other officials. The White House says Mr. Obama directed the FEMA administrator to ensure federal partners bring into effect all available resources to support state and local responders.
Sandy is expected to make landfall early Tuesday around the coast of Delaware. During Saturday's conference call, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Centers for Environmental Prediction, Louis Uccellini, said it could affect more than 50 to 60 million people.
The storm's arrival, coinciding with Halloween Wednesday, has led some forecasters to call it "Frankenstorm", named for the Frankenstein monster of literature and films.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday that Sandy is a "very large" cyclone with hurricane-force winds extending up to 165 kilometers from the center.
At last report, Sandy was carrying winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. The storm killed at least 43 people during its sweep through the Caribbean. Deaths were reported in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, while at least one person died in the Bahamas after falling from his roof while trying to prepare his home for the storm.
The U.S. capital, Washington, and the states of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina have already declared states of emergency. Power companies are telling customers to prepare for the possibility of days-long outages. Local authorities are urging residents to stock up on drinkable water, canned food and batteries. fuente: La Voz de América, http://www.voanews.com/content/hurricane-sandy-downgraded-to-tropical-storm/1534474.html
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Craig Fugate, told reporters during a conference call Saturday that the "complex storm" is not just a coastal threat, but will also have impacts well inland.
Officials say the storm will be so large that its torrential rains, high winds and snow could affect the eastern third of the country. The storm is expected to cause significant flooding and power outages.
U.S. President Barack Obama discussed government preparations for the storm Saturday with Fugate, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and other officials. The White House says Mr. Obama directed the FEMA administrator to ensure federal partners bring into effect all available resources to support state and local responders.
Sandy is expected to make landfall early Tuesday around the coast of Delaware. During Saturday's conference call, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Centers for Environmental Prediction, Louis Uccellini, said it could affect more than 50 to 60 million people.
The storm's arrival, coinciding with Halloween Wednesday, has led some forecasters to call it "Frankenstorm", named for the Frankenstein monster of literature and films.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday that Sandy is a "very large" cyclone with hurricane-force winds extending up to 165 kilometers from the center.
At last report, Sandy was carrying winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. The storm killed at least 43 people during its sweep through the Caribbean. Deaths were reported in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, while at least one person died in the Bahamas after falling from his roof while trying to prepare his home for the storm.
The U.S. capital, Washington, and the states of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina have already declared states of emergency. Power companies are telling customers to prepare for the possibility of days-long outages. Local authorities are urging residents to stock up on drinkable water, canned food and batteries. fuente: La Voz de América, http://www.voanews.com/content/hurricane-sandy-downgraded-to-tropical-storm/1534474.html
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