New York left devastated as Sandy kills over 100
In hardest-hit New York, huge swathes of the city remained dark and nearly deserted.
At least 40 people were killed across seven states by the storm that made landfall in New Jersey and cut power to around 7.5m people.
It also managed to put the presidential campaign on hold just one week before polling day.
New York’s financial district was closed for a second day but is expected to reopen today. The storm caused the worst damage in the 108-year history of the city’s subway system, and there was no indication of when the largest US transit network would be rolling again.
The full extent of the damage in neighbouring New Jersey was being revealed as morning arrived. Emergency teams fanned out to rescue hundreds.
Governor Chris Christie said seaside rail lines had been washed away; there was no safe place on the state’s barrier islands for him to land. Parts of the coast were still under water.
“It is beyond anything I thought I’d ever see,” he said. “It is a devastating sight right now.”
The death toll from Sandy in the US included several killed by falling trees. Sandy also killed 69 people in the Caribbean before heading up the Eastern Seaboard.
Airlines cancelled more than 12,000 flights. New York’s three major airports remained closed yesterday.
US president Barack Obama declared a major disaster in New York and Long Island, making federal funding available to residents of the area. He also suspended campaigning for a third day.
“This was a devastating storm, maybe the worst that we have ever experienced,” New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
Trading at the New York Stock Exchange was cancelled again after the storm sent a record 13ft surge of water over its seawalls and into low-lying streets.
The water flooded tunnels, subway stations, and the electrical system that powers Wall Street, and sent hospital patients and tourists rushing for safety.
NYers will get through this by standing together as we always do. We will get the city we love back on its feet http://t.co/KQp2f2vX #Sandy
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) October 30, 2012
Skyscrapers swayed and creaked in winds that partially toppled a crane 74 storeys up. A large tanker ship ran aground on the Staten Island.
In New Jersey, where the Sandy first hit land, a huge swell of water swept over the small town of Moonachie, and authorities struggled to rescue about 800 people, some of them living in a trailer park. Police and fire officials used boats to try to reach the stranded.
The massive storm reached well into the midwest with heavy rain and snow. Chicago officials warned residents to stay away from the Lake Michigan shore as the city prepared for winds of up to 100km/h and waves exceeding 7 metres.
Just before it made landfall, forecasters stripped Sandy of hurricane status, but the distinction was purely technical, based on its shape and internal temperature. It still packed hurricane-force winds.
While the 145km/h winds registered as only a Category 1 on a scale of five, the superstorm packed “astoundingly low” barometric pressure, giving it terrific energy to push water inland, said Kerry Emanuel, a professor of meteorology.
New York’s Tisch Hospital was forced to evacuate 200 patients after its back-up generator failed. Patients — including 20 babies from the neonatal intensive care unit who were on battery-powered respirators — had to be carried down stairs to dozens of ambulances waiting to take them to other hospitals.
A construction crane atop a luxury high-rise overlooking Central Park collapsed in high winds and dangled precariously.
Thousands of people were ordered to leave several nearby buildings as a precaution.
A historic Irish-owned New York tavern which was renovated at a cost of $2m (€1.5m) just 18 months ago was sitting under 4.5 metres of water yesterday.
Fraunces Tavern, owned by Irish company The Porterhouse Bar Group is just one victim of Hurricane Sandy which wreaked havoc across the east coast of the USA.
The landmark building , home to the first president of the US, George Washington, where he bade farewell to his officers after the Revolution, is the oldest building in Manhattan.
Yesterday, staff and management were assessing the damages, which are expected to be considerable.
The Fraunces Tavern was extensively brought back to its former glory only 18 months ago by The Porterhouse Bar Group at a cost of $2m.
Commenting on the damages to Manhattan’s oldest and most historic building, director Oliver Hughes said the owners were determined to restore the tavern to its former glory yet again.
“We are currently assessing the damages to The Porterhouse at Fraunces Tavern,” said Hughes. “It will be again restored to its former glory. It’s early days yet but Fraunces Tavern will be fighting again another day in the not too distant future.”
The clean-up operation is expected to get underway as soon as the site has been assessed fully. The basement of the building is completely submerged and more than five feet of water lies in the ground floor of the premises. The Fraunces Tavern is located at 54 Pearl St, off Wall Street in the Financial District zone of Manhattan.
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