Hurricane Sandy The United States is in a state of shock. 10 killed

The Dhaka Times Desk Hurricane Sandy crossed the New Jersey coast of the United States with a speed of 90 miles per hour, killing at least 10 people.

Low-lying areas of New York City were inundated by a record high tide of 13 feet under the influence of the full moon. All of Atlantic City is now under about 8 feet of water. Power is out in most parts of Manhattan. Several subway tunnels were also submerged in water. A quarter of 400,000 residents of these areas have been evacuated to safe shelter 24 hours before, but there is fear of extensive damage due to the cyclone.

Of the 10 deaths reported by police in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, some died from falling trees in the storm. Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed five deaths in New York alone as a result of Sandy.

Bangladeshi Ambassador to Washington Akramul Quader and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations AKA Momen are keeping track of the expatriate Bangladeshis in the disaster-hit areas. Momen said, "We are in contact with Bangladeshis in Michigan, Atlantic City, Virginia, Boston, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, Connecticut, North Carolina. We will try to do as much as we can if something happens somewhere and we get news."

A state of emergency was declared in six US states last Sunday as Sandy approached. Holidays are declared in all schools. Monday's program at the United Nations headquarters in New York was canceled and the New York Stock Exchange announced that the trading floor would be closed.

Finally, around 8 PM local time (Bangladesh time Tuesday 6 AM), Sandy crossed the New Jersey coast and began to make landfall. About 3 million people are in the dark due to the power outages caused by the cyclone. In all, at least 50 million people are expected to be affected by this storm. More than 14,000 flights were canceled in the past three days at airports in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, Delaware, Connecticut and Boston because of Sandy. In August last year, a total of 14,000 flights were canceled over 4 days due to Hurricane Irene. Preliminary estimates by EQCAT, a private research firm, put the damage from Sandy at up to $20 billion.

Last year's damage from Hurricane Irene was $10 billion. And in 2005, victims of the devastating Hurricane Katrina had to pay 45 billion dollars in insurance. After forming in the Caribbean Sea, Sandy killed at least 66 people on its way to the United States over Jamaica and Cuba. The storm caused extensive damage in these two countries of the Caribbean region.

The US National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Sandy has made landfall and is now a post-tropical storm. Over the next 24 to 36 hours, 12 US states are likely to experience thunderstorms and gradually weakening rains. In addition, West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky are expected to receive up to 3 feet of snow as a result of Sandy.

Meanwhile, analysts believe that Sandy may have a major impact on the presidential election on November 6.

Both Democratic candidate President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney have been forced to suspend their campaigns. President Barack Obama is monitoring the situation from the White House. He directed the National Guard in disaster-hit areas and the Federal Emergency Management Authority to take rehabilitation steps once the water recedes. (Courtesy: bdnews24.com)