Atlantic City Already Experiences Flooding from Hurricane Sandy

Atlantic City, N.J.’s public safety director reports that “most of the city is underwater” with Hurricane Sandy still about 200 miles offshore and expected to make landfall in southern New Jersey late tonight. Officials gave evacuation orders for the city, anticipating the storm to be worse than even the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962—the strongest and most destructive nor’easter to strike the mid-Atlantic in the 20th century. The city’s casino resorts all closed at noon Sunday and will remain closed at least until the evacuation is lifted. The city’s historic boardwalk remains mostly intact, although one older section broke up and washed away.

The storm has tropical storm-force winds extending out 500 miles from its center, affecting cities from Washington, DC, to Boston. Parts of West Virginia are bracing for as much as 3 feet of snow. New York City is preparing for an 11-foot storm surge, prompting officials to close tunnels and the city’s mass-transit system. Airlines have canceled nearly 10,000 flights for today and Tuesday, affecting travelers around the globe who had been scheduled to travel to or connect through airports in the Northeast. huffingtonpost.com