Hurricane Sandy sweeps along east coast

Hurricane Sandy, which has already claimed over 50 lives in the Caribbean, is predicted to bring heavy winds and floodwaters to the mid-atlantic region. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

By LAURA CLARK, News Editor

Hurricane Sandy, a huge storm coming from the Atlantic Ocean, is sweeping the east coast this week and is expected to leave more than half a dozen northeast U.S. states with power failures, as well as issues with transportation systems and widespread evacuations.

370,000 people have already been evacuated in New York, and the subway system, as well as other forms of public transportation, have been shut down. Bridges and tunnels will also be shut down if winds exceed 60 miles per hour.

By Sunday night, the storm was producing winds of 75 miles per hour, and by Monday morning the winds had increased to 90 miles per hour. The hurricane is expected to have a large impact on east coast states such as Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, and North Carolina. In Delaware, about 500 people are in shelters. All mass transit was shut down in Philadelphia, and in Washington, federal government, the transit system, and the schools were closed.

The storm is already bringing high winds and flooding. Flooding could be life-threatening, and the Governor of Maryland is speculating that there will be people who die in the storm. It also remains to be seen whether the storm will cause any trouble for air travel.