With Superstorm Sandy dissipating and exiting the East Coast toward Canada, the Eastern U.S. is still reeling in its immediate aftermath.
As of Wednesday morning more than six million residents in the Northeast were still without electric power. The storm has left at least 108 dead, in the U.S. and Caribbean, with New York City alone suffering the loss of 22 lives.
While LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports have reopened, service is still limited. The PATH subway service linking New Jersey and NYC normally used by about a quarter-million commuters daily is estimated to be inoperable for a week or longer.
Flood warnings were issued Wednesday for Maine and parts of New Hampshire. Heavy snowfall has battered parts of the south, with winter storm warnings issued in West Virginia and a state of emergency announced for dozens of counties in western North Carolina.
Flight cancellations were approaching 20,000 Wednesday. Hotel closures included Starwood reporting that two NYC hotels and one in Atlantic City being evacuated by order of emergency services. The properties include the 731-room Le Parker Meridien New York, evacuated by officials on Monday after a crane at an adjacent construction site collapsed, resulting in the damaged crane’s arm dangling precipitously at more than 70 stories above ground.
Marriott reported that as a result of mandatory evacuations, the New York Marriott Downtown, The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park, and the Atlantic City Courtyard, located in Atlantic City, and Fairfield Inn Atlantic City North, in Absecon, N.J. had been temporarily closed.
Hilton Worldwide issued said in a Tuesday statement that cancellation fees will be waived for advance purchase reservations impacted by Sandy. Hilton is said to be assessing the storm’s fallout on its hotels roster and will respond accordingly.
Key Resources:
State-by-State Overview from CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/30/us/tropical-weather-state-by-state/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
FlightStats Flight Tracker
http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightTracker/flightTracker.do?gclid=CJfY9K3Yq7MCFVBgMgodEz4A_A
National Weather Service
National Hurricane Center
