States flooded and without power, Obama’s presidential campaign put on hold to deal with the crisis
Ian Benson
News Editor
Hurricane Sandy wrought a wave of destruction that started on Monday, leaving 7.5 million people without power in 15 states and claiming at least 33 lives by Tuesday. That brings the total number of deaths to 101 after the chaos caused by the storm in the Caribbean, where 68 people were killed. The first American life claimed by the storm was a 31-year old man in Queens, New York who was killed when a tree crushed his house.
The storm has reportedly started massive flooding throughout the northeast, turning streets into rivers and washing away the foundations of homes. New York City has been hit particularly hard, with water flooding the subways that will have to be pumped out.
The storm also shorted out power all across the city, leaving more than 1.7 million people without electricity. It also started fires that burned 80 homes to the ground in Queens, forcing 200 firefighters to respond in the middle of the storm. Sandy also shutdown both John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports due to flooding. New Jersey has suffered the brunt of the storm’s wrath, with the Atlantic City boardwalk torn apart by wind and waves and many parts of the state covered in four to six feet of water.
Sandy’s ire has been felt beyond just the northeast, with strong winds being reported as far south as Georgia and as far north as Canada, and heavy rain falling from the Midwest to New England. In West Virginia, the hurricane created a blizzard that blanketed part of the state in snow, causing the governor to issue a state of emergency. A similar occurrence was reported in western North Carolina.
While it is difficult to predict the full cost and scale of the hurricane’s destruction, a government prediction shows that the winds from the storm alone could cost upwards of $7 billion in damages.
The storm forced President Obama and Vice President Biden off the campaign trail and back to D.C., canceling Biden’s event here inWooster, as well as rallies in Akron and Gambier this past week. As the storm’s destruction continued on Tuesday, Obama signed major disaster declarations for both New Jersey and New York.
The effects of Sandy have even been felt in Ohio. Nearly 250,000 homes and businesses are without power across the state, with strong winds, flooding and in some cases, snow. Both the Chagrin and Cuyahoga Rivers are above flood stage and are washing boats from the docks and into Lake Erie. It has also forced classes to be canceled in numerous school districts and universities across the state.