A record storm surge from super-storm Sandy sent floodwaters pouring into Lower Manhattan on Monday night as parts of New York City were plunged into darkness by widespread power outages.
In addition to the surging waters of the East and Hudson rivers, the city was by battered by “hurricane-force gusts” of more than 145 KM per hour
After days of dire warning, the thickly populated Eastern Seaboard felt the first taste of a massive storm that snapped trees, ripped down power lines and flooded streets across the Washington region on Monday.
The East River and the Hudson River flooded subway and car tunnels, and several feet of seawater swamped into Battery Park at the foot of Lower Manhattan, with waters rising and rain showing no sign of abating.
New York City was hit hard, with a nine-foot storm surge with rivers already overflowing their banks. Streets flooded in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, runways at La Guardia International Airport were underwater and a big construction crane snapped atop a skyscraper being built in Midtown. Four feet of water had flooded some city subways, raising fears they would cripple the system for days.
Airports closed till Tuesday at the region’s three airports. Thousands of homes lost power.
5 Killed
The storm has killed at least FIVE people in the United States since it crashed into the eastern seaboard, bringing hurricane-force winds and torrential rains to one of the most highly populated areas of the country