Sandy shuts down northeastern US, threatens havoc

Millions of Americans in the country's heavily populated East Coast barricaded themselves in to brace up for a strengthened Hurricane Sandy that threatens catastrophe of a lifetime with forecasters warning that it will slam cities from New York to Washington.

Authorities declared a state of emergency from North Carolina to Connecticut as the superstorm made its way up the Atlantic on a collision course with two other weather systems, that could turn it into one of the most deadly storms to hit the US.

According to the National Hurricane Center's advisory, the storm's maximum sustained winds have maintained a speed of 85 miles per hour. The monster storm is about 310 miles southeast of New York and continues to speed up.

Warning that the megastorm could make landfall by later today or tomorrow morning, the forecasters said it could wreak havoc over 1,300km of eastern coastline to the Great Lakes.

The superstorm Sandy has plunged the final week of electioneering into chaos, with President Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney cancelling and rescheduling their rallies in critical battleground states.

Dramatic rescue efforts were under way in Oak Orchard, Delaware, a community along the Indian River Bay and a part of the state that was under a mandatory evacuation.

Officials across the Eastern Seaboard had implored residents to obey evacuation orders, emphasising that local authorities could be put in danger if they tried to save them.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie put it most bluntly: "Don't be stupid. Get out!"

Still, some didn't leave. Delaware Governor Jack Markell said the National Guard and local fire and police officials were rescuing people in his state early this morning.

About 50 million people, from Virginia to Massachusetts, are expected to feel the effects of Sandy.

"It could be bad," said US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Steven Rattior, "or it could be devastation."

And the impact isn't limited to the East Coast. Wave heights in Lake Michigan could reach 28 feet by tonight and 31 feet by tomorrow, the National Weather Service said.

Airlines cancelled more than 7,600 flights from Europe and Asia and began suspending train services across the north east. New York, which forecasters warned could bear the brunt of the superstorm, and Philadelphia shut down their subways.

Schools, malls, superstores and even the stock exchanges put up closure notices. Boston, Washington and Baltimore also called off schools.

Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane has already taken 65 lives in Carribean, before it began travelling northwards. According to latest Met reports, the hurricane was reported just 684km south-east of New York City and moving at a speed of 23km an hour.

As rain and snow from the fringes of the storm began to fall on major US cities on the East Coast, tens of thousands of people were ordered out of their homes including 50,000 from Delaware alone, 30,000 in Atlantic city and Indian-dominated New Jersey.

Authorities warned that waves riding as high as 11 feet could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple electric and communication lines that are vital to New York financial centre.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned people in low-lying areas of Manhattan and Queens to get out.

"We have a plan to keep you and all New Yorkers safe. If you follow that plan, we'll get through this storm just fine. If you don't, people's lives are in danger. Not only yours, but the people who might be called to rescue you in an emergency," Bloomberg told a press conference.

"I can't stress enough that this is for your own safety, and that if you refuse to evacuate, you're not only putting yourself at risk, but also the first responders who will have to assist you in an emergency," he said.

President Obama also cautioned Americans not to treat the storm lightly.

"This is a serious and big storm," Obama said at headquarters of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington DC where he had gone to review the preparedness.