Last Updated 2:02 P.M. ET
After causing heavy damage and at least 40 deaths in the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall on the East Coast by Tuesday. No one can be certain how powerful it will become, but the signs are ominous.
Sandy is expected to strike the Eastern Seaboard near the Delaware coast, then hit two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid monster storm.
Even if Sandy loses strength and makes landfall as something less than a hurricane, the combined storm was expected to bring misery to a huge section of the East. An 800-mile wide swath of the country could see 50 mph winds regardless of Sandy's strength.
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[h=3]"Super storm" Sandy will be a "little bit of everything"[/h]
Experts said the storm could be wider and stronger than Irene, which caused more than $15 billion in damage, and could rival the worst East Coast storm on record.
On Saturday at 2 p.m. ET the storm was about 335 miles southeast of Charleston, S.C., moving at 11 mph. Its sustained wind speed was about 75 mph.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for parts of coastal North and South Carolina and the Bahamas. Tropical storm watches were issued for coastal Georgia and Bermuda.
Meteorologist and CBS News hurricane analyst David Bernard of CBS Station WFOR says the storm weakened slightly overnight to a tropical storm, but was upgraded this morning to a hurricane packing 75 mph winds.
As of Saturday afternoon tropical storm-force winds are already near the coast of North Carolina.
Up and down the coast, people were cautioned to be prepared for days without electricity. Jersey Shore beach towns began issuing voluntary evacuations and protecting boardwalks. Atlantic City casinos made contingency plans to close, and officials advised residents of flood-prone areas to stay with family or be ready to leave. Several governors declared states of emergency. Airlines said to expect cancellations and waived change fees for passengers who want to reschedule.
The White House said President Barack Obama had a conference call Saturday to discuss Hurricane Sandy with the Homeland Security secretary, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the director of the National Hurricane Center and his homeland security adviser.
The White House says President Obama made clear to emergency management officials that the federal government should do all it can to provide resources to state and local officials along the East Coast as they brace for the approaching storm.
Several governors have declared states of emergency, including Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
In North Carolina's Outer Banks, light rain was falling Saturday and winds were building up to a predicted 30 to 50 mph. A steady stream of campers and other vehicles hauling boats were leaving the low-lying islands for the mainland. Residents feared a temporary bridge built after Irene last year poked a new inlet through the island could be washed out again, severing the only road off Hatteras Island.
In Ship Bottom, N.J., Russ Linke was taking no chances Saturday. He and his wife secured the patio furniture, packed the bicycles into the pickup truck and headed off the island.
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[h=3]U.S. prepares for Hurricane Sandy[/h]
"I've been here since 1997, and I never even put my barbecue grill away during a storm, but I am taking this one seriously," he said. "They say it might hit here; that's about as serious as it can get."
After Irene left millions without power, utilities were taking no chances and were lining up extra crews and tree-trimmers. Wind threatened to topple power lines, and trees that still have leaves could be weighed down by snow and fall over if the weight becomes too much.
New York City began precautions for an ominous but still uncertain forecast. No decision had been made on whether any of the city's public transportation outlets would be shut, despite predictions that a sudden shift of the storm's path could cause a surge of 3 to 6 feet in the subways.
The subway system was completely shuttered during Irene, the first such shutdown ever for weather-related reasons. Irene largely missed the city, but struck other areas hard.
The storm loomed a little more than a week before Election Day, while several states were heavily involved in campaigning, canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Vice President Joe Biden both canceled weekend campaign events in coastal Virginia Beach, Va., though their events in other parts of the states were going on as planned. In Rhode Island, politicians asked supporters to take down yard signs for fear they might turn into projectiles in the storm.
Sandy killed more than 40 people in the Caribbean, wrecked homes and knocked down trees and power lines.
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After causing heavy damage and at least 40 deaths in the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall on the East Coast by Tuesday. No one can be certain how powerful it will become, but the signs are ominous.
Sandy is expected to strike the Eastern Seaboard near the Delaware coast, then hit two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid monster storm.
Even if Sandy loses strength and makes landfall as something less than a hurricane, the combined storm was expected to bring misery to a huge section of the East. An 800-mile wide swath of the country could see 50 mph winds regardless of Sandy's strength.
[h=3]"Super storm" Sandy will be a "little bit of everything"[/h]
Experts said the storm could be wider and stronger than Irene, which caused more than $15 billion in damage, and could rival the worst East Coast storm on record.
On Saturday at 2 p.m. ET the storm was about 335 miles southeast of Charleston, S.C., moving at 11 mph. Its sustained wind speed was about 75 mph.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for parts of coastal North and South Carolina and the Bahamas. Tropical storm watches were issued for coastal Georgia and Bermuda.
Meteorologist and CBS News hurricane analyst David Bernard of CBS Station WFOR says the storm weakened slightly overnight to a tropical storm, but was upgraded this morning to a hurricane packing 75 mph winds.
As of Saturday afternoon tropical storm-force winds are already near the coast of North Carolina.
Up and down the coast, people were cautioned to be prepared for days without electricity. Jersey Shore beach towns began issuing voluntary evacuations and protecting boardwalks. Atlantic City casinos made contingency plans to close, and officials advised residents of flood-prone areas to stay with family or be ready to leave. Several governors declared states of emergency. Airlines said to expect cancellations and waived change fees for passengers who want to reschedule.
The White House said President Barack Obama had a conference call Saturday to discuss Hurricane Sandy with the Homeland Security secretary, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the director of the National Hurricane Center and his homeland security adviser.
The White House says President Obama made clear to emergency management officials that the federal government should do all it can to provide resources to state and local officials along the East Coast as they brace for the approaching storm.
Several governors have declared states of emergency, including Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
In North Carolina's Outer Banks, light rain was falling Saturday and winds were building up to a predicted 30 to 50 mph. A steady stream of campers and other vehicles hauling boats were leaving the low-lying islands for the mainland. Residents feared a temporary bridge built after Irene last year poked a new inlet through the island could be washed out again, severing the only road off Hatteras Island.
In Ship Bottom, N.J., Russ Linke was taking no chances Saturday. He and his wife secured the patio furniture, packed the bicycles into the pickup truck and headed off the island.
[h=3]U.S. prepares for Hurricane Sandy[/h]
"I've been here since 1997, and I never even put my barbecue grill away during a storm, but I am taking this one seriously," he said. "They say it might hit here; that's about as serious as it can get."
After Irene left millions without power, utilities were taking no chances and were lining up extra crews and tree-trimmers. Wind threatened to topple power lines, and trees that still have leaves could be weighed down by snow and fall over if the weight becomes too much.
New York City began precautions for an ominous but still uncertain forecast. No decision had been made on whether any of the city's public transportation outlets would be shut, despite predictions that a sudden shift of the storm's path could cause a surge of 3 to 6 feet in the subways.
The subway system was completely shuttered during Irene, the first such shutdown ever for weather-related reasons. Irene largely missed the city, but struck other areas hard.
The storm loomed a little more than a week before Election Day, while several states were heavily involved in campaigning, canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Vice President Joe Biden both canceled weekend campaign events in coastal Virginia Beach, Va., though their events in other parts of the states were going on as planned. In Rhode Island, politicians asked supporters to take down yard signs for fear they might turn into projectiles in the storm.
Sandy killed more than 40 people in the Caribbean, wrecked homes and knocked down trees and power lines.
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