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State-by-State Guide to Hurricane Sandy

Last Updated | 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 30 â€" We are taking a state-by-state look at the devastation caused in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, including unprecedented flooding damage in New Jersey and New York City, where the subway system will be shut down for at least four days, as our colleagues report. . An interactive map shows where more than 6 million people across the Northeast are without power. At least ten people in New York, three in New Jersey and two in Connecticut were among the multiple people whose deaths have been attributed to the mammoth storm that created havoc from North Carolina to New England.

New York Times reporters are delivering live updates from across the region and Northeast.

Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Maryland | New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | Virginia | West Virginia

CONNECTICUT

WTNH-TV reports on Tuesday from Milford, Conn., which was badly hit by Sandy

At least two people died as a result of the storm that flooded low-lying areas in coastal towns and left hundreds of of thousands of people without power, reports The Hartford Courant on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Governor Dannel P. Malloy, who is touring coastal towns to inspect the damage, lifted the restriction banning cars and t rucks from state highways.

A town-by-town list from Connecticut Light & Power.

More than 360,000 people were evacuated over the weekend from low-lying areas along the coast from Old Saybrook to Fairfield amid growing concern about flooding from the hurricane's surge in Long Island Sound.

WTNH-TV in Hartford delivered this report on the damage the storm caused to Metro North.

WTNH-TV provides an update on the damage the storm caused to Metro North

After Hurricane Irene last year, power companies in Connecticut were harshly criticized for taking more than a week to restore power to tens of thousands of customers. Luther Turmelle, a reporter for The New Haven Register, reports that Connecticut can once again expect widespread power failures:

TRANSPORTATION: Governor Malloy lifted travel ban on state highways on Tuesday. No commuter rail service. Amtrak cancelled service.

EVACUATIONS: Branford, Fairfield, Old Saybrook and East Haven. WTNH-TV published a town-by-town evacuation list.

POWER/UTILITIES: More than 600,000 customers were without power on Tuesday.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER RESOURCES:

Hash tags: #ctsandy, #sandyct

The Twitter account for the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection:

The American Red Cross Safety and Preparation Tips for Connecticut Residents

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Facebook

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Twitter

Facebook updates from the Naval Submarine Base, Groton, Conn.

News Media Twitter Accounts to Follow:

News updates from NBC Connecticut

The New Haven Register on Facebook

The Yale Daily News on Twitter

The Stamford Advocate updates for Fairfield County on Twitter

DELAWARE

Brian Stelter for The New York Times in Lewes, Del..

Delaware banned cars and trucks from the state's roadways other than “essential personnel” as part of its emergency restrictions. Gov. Jack Markell said the next 24 hours would get “a whole lot worse”.

“The most important thing right now is for people to use common sense,” Governor Markell said. “We didn't want people out on the road going to work and not being able to get home again.”

Some roads were completely closed. Delaware Route 1 was shut down from Fenwick to Dewey because of flooding. “We've seen some substantial flooding on Route 1,” said Rob Walker, a public information officer for Sussex County.

Coastal flooding was the chief concern in Delaware as Hurricane Sandy churned offshore on Monday. In Lewes, a low-lying town at the tip of
the Delaware Bay, ocean water crept into homes as an intracoastal waterway was overwhelmed by storm surge. Police cut off all access to
the flooded part of town on Monday afternoon, enforcing a statewide ban on all driving that was put in place before dawn.

In this short video, you can see the rising water in Lewes, flooding homes.

South of Lewes in Rehoboth Beach, the surge tugged sand fences out to sea and swept over the dunes in some spots, leaving seashells and
other debris on the boardwalk. The ocean receded somewhat during low tide, but emergency officials feared that the evening's high tide would swamp the boardwalk area.

The wind also began t o kick up and contributed to scattered power failures around the state.

Evacuations were mandatory in flood-prone parts of the state, from Fenwick Island on the southern border with Maryland to New Castle, a hundred miles north. All businesses within the evacuation zones were ordered closed by 6 p.m. Sunday.

“This storm is severe and its potential damages significant,” Governor Markell said in a statement on Sunday. “It is critical that residents in areas of greatest risk leave those areas now before the storm's full force is felt and lives are put at greater risk.”

The state set up a hot line, (800) 464-4357, for members of the public who have questions about the storm. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency also posted updates on its Web site.

Gov. Jack A. Mark ell talking about emergency plans during a visit to the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center in Georgetown, Del.

TRANSPORTATION: All highways closed except for essential personnel. Amtrak canceled service along the Northeast Corridor on Monday. Route 1, the coastal highway in Delaware, was closed on Sunday after the ocean flooded a portion of it.

EVACUATIONS: Low-lying areas in Sussex, New Castle, Kent Counties. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency published a complete list of towns, areas and evacuation routes. Red Cross centers opened at noon, including ones at Cape Henlopen High School, Milford Middle School, Dover High School and William Penn High School in New Castle, which also welcome pets.

FORECAST: Coastal flooding. H urricane-force winds were expected on Monday. Rainfall of four to eight inches was expected over portions of the mid-Atlantic states, including the Delmarva Peninsula, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches possible. Updates here.

POWER/UTILITIES: Long-term, widespread power failures are expected.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

Hash tags: #desandy, #sandyde

Emergency Management on Facebook.

The Delaware Citizen Corps

PrepareDelaware on Twitter

Delaware State Police Newsroom on Facebook

Delaware weather updates on Twitter

The News Journal on Twitter

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Strong winds and rain knocked down trees and power lines but the Washington, D.C. area escaped the “brunt of the storm” and was starting to return to normal, as the Washington Post reports.

On Tuesday, the METRO and federal government offices in the District of Columbia remained closed to the public, and nonessential personnel did not have to report to work, the Office of Personnel Management announced.

Public schools were closed on Tuesday. More than 250,000 people were without power, based on an interactive map from The Post.

The nation's capital is far enough inland so it was able to avoid the worst of the winds. Also, the city's low-lying areas, including Georgetown and the tidal basin of the Potomac River, experienced some flooding.

Pepco, the utility company that was criticized for leaving people in the district without power for more than a week after a storm in June, called customers over the weekend reminding them to prepare and issued a warning on Twitter.

TRANSPORTATION: Metro subway trains and buses were out of service on Monday. All Maryland Area Regional Commuter train service was canceled on Monday. Amtrak canceled Northeast Regional, Acela, Keystone and shuttle service for Monday, and service north to New York City was suspended at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Virginia Railway Express train service was canceled Monday.

POWER/UTILITIES: Pepco is expecting widespread power failures.

FORECAST: Winds of as much as 45 m.p.h., and gusts over 60 m.p.h., beginning on Monday morning and lasting for at least a day. The worst conditions were expected on Monday night. Coastal flood warnings called for a surge of one to three feet above normal, leading to moderate flooding, especially on Tuesday. Updates can be found here.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

American Red Cross in the National Capital Region on Twitter

Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Twitter

D.C. Homeland Security on Twitter

D.C. Fire and E.M.S. on Twitter

D.C Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs on Twitter

D.C. Department of Transportation on Twitter

The Washington Post's Capital Weather blog on Twitter

The Washington Post's local news updates on Twitter

MARYLAND

Ocean City felt the impact of Sandy's fury on Monday as the ocean crashed over dunes and brought down half of the city's famed pier, reports WBOC-TV in Ocean City.

The mayor issued evacuation orders for Ocean City's most flood-prone neighborhoods, which were inundated.

As the storm approached, the state's eastern coast was under warning for hurricane-force winds, as was the whole coast from Virginia to Rhode Island, including Chesapeake Bay. Serious flooding was not expected in Chesapeake Bay, but shifts in the storm's trajectory raised concerns about flooding in the bay as the storm now appears to push water inland into rivers and streams already likely to flood.

Even in the mountainous western reaches of the state, winds will gust to 45 m.p.h. or more beginning late Monday and lasting for a day or two. Along with heavy rain, and in the mountains even snow, this can be expected to bring down trees and power lines.

While Ocean City was being evacuated for the coastal storm surge of a hurricane, a blizzard warning was issued for Garrett County and other regions in the west of the state, lasting from 3 p.m. Monday to 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The state has experienced many instances of widespread, prolonged power failures during extreme weather in recent years, and no one expects this time to be different.

Baltimore County issued a plea for people in flood-prone areas to consider evacuating and said conditions would be at their worst on Monday, lasting until Tuesday. Rain started to fall in Baltimore at midafternoon on Sunday.

Schools in Baltimore, Montgomery County and elsewhere around the state announced they would be c losed on Monday. And the port was closed:

President Obama signed an emergency declaration order for the state, meaning that federal assistance may be delivered in advance.

Maryland canceled early voting on Monday. The state government shut down except for nonessential personnel. That means no motor-vehicle licensing or inspection offices were open, for example.

Gov. Martin O'Malley said at a Monday briefing that “there will be people who die and are killed in this storm.”

“We need to watch out for each other, but the inte nsity of this storm is such that there will undoubtedly be some deaths that are caused by the intensity of this storm, by the floods, by the tidal surge and by the waves,” he said.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

American Red Cross from central Maryland on Facebook

American Red Cross Lower Shore for Maryland and Virginia on Twitter

Maryland Emergency Management Center on Twitter

Maryland Department of Transportation on Twitter

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Twitter

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore on Twitter

Baltimore Police Department on Twitter

The Baltimore Sun on Twitter

NEW JERSEY

Gov. Chris Christie gives an update on the storm during an interview with Matt Lauer of NBC's TV's Today Show.

At least three people have been killed as a result of the storm, which has caused unprecedented damage along the coast, said Governor Chris Christie. More than two million people are without power. Search and rescue missions are underway up and down the coast, where an unknown number of people are cut off and without power. A video of Governor Christie's 10 a.m. briefing on Tuesday and latest updates from the emergency management command center can be found here.

Ocean waters along the New Jersey coast moved inland even before Sandy made landfall at about 8 p.m. Monday, filling up streets and washing away piers and boardwalks. Waist-deep floodwaters in some locations wreaked havoc, as The Star Ledger reports. But on Tuesday morning, it was evident that the surge caused record-breaking flooding and unprecedented destruction.

Because of the storm's size and strength, its impact stretched for hundreds of miles beyond its center.

PATH and New Jersey Transit service was suspended, and it could take days before full service is restored. The George Washington Bridge was re-opened on Tuesday but the Gar den State Parkway remained closed in both directions south of Interchange 129 in Woodbridge Township.

Some photos posted on Twitter offer a glimpse of the impact of the storm, starting Monday.

More than 2,200 people remained in shelters in New Jersey, according to the State Office of Emergency Management. But some p eople in the most vulnerable areas had hunkered down in their homes; in Cape May County, the southernmost portion of the state, officials estimated that perhaps 40 percent of the residents of the county's barrier islands had decided to stay put, complicating search and rescue missions.

TRANSPORTATION: New Jersey Transit and PATH service was suspended. The Garden State Parkway in both directions south of Interchange 129 in Woodbridge Township was closed. Hundreds of flights into and out of Newark Liberty International Airport were canceled.

EVACUATIONS: A mandatory evacuation order was issued for thousands of residents in low-lying areas along the coast. Residents of the state's barrier islands were told to evacuate by 4 p.m. Sunday, and Atlantic City casinos were closed.

POWER/UTILITIES: More than 2 million people are without power, more than from Irene.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

Gov. Chris Christie on Facebook

Gov. Chris Chri stie on Twitter

Gov. Chris Christie on YouTube

Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark on Twitter

New Jersey Department of Emergency Management on Facebook

A breaking news Twitter account from The Record

The Star-Ledger on Twitter

The Asbury Park Press on Twitter

N.J. 101.5 News on Twitter

The Atlantic City Press on Twitter

NEW YORK

New York Times reporters are fanned out across the city and region, covering the aftermath of the storm and providing live updates here. An interactive map showing power failures and flooding and wind damage from the storm.

Six photos posted on Twitter showing the impact of the storm in the city.

An explosion at a Con Edison plant contributed to a power failure that plunged people and businesses into darkness from 34th Street in Manhattan to the Battery.

A video of the explosion at Con Edison utility station on Monday night that contributed to the power failure affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Credit: TrillianMedia.

On Long Island, there was widespread flooding and hundreds of thousands of customers were without power on Tuesday. The Long Island Power Authority has this interactive map with the latest on the power failures and what actions are being taken.

Our correspondent, Sarah Maslin Nir, reporting from the eastern end of Long Island.

In Midtown Manhattan, a high-rise crane has been apparently damaged and is dangling some 80 stories over the sidewalk at 157 West 57th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, as our colleagues report. The police have blocked off the area and were evacuating surrounding buildings.

The storm created major transportation problems across the region. Governor Andrew Cuomo shared this photo on Twitter showing a boat in the middle of the commuter rail tracks in a town in northern Westchester County.

The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the Holland Tunnel were closed for traffic at 2 p.m. on Monday, and will remain closed for the duration of the storm. Mr. Bloomberg said that New York City public schools would remain closed. The subways may not be operational for four to five days.

More than 375,000 people were ordered on Sunday to evacuate their homes in Brooklyn, Queens and Lower Manhattan. Our colleagues have amassed a detailed list of closings and another map and list about evacuations and closings resulting from the storm.

What does the storm look like from the 51st floor of the New York Times building in Times Square? Find out here.


TRANSPORTATION: Unprecedented damage to the city's subway and bus service, commuter rails, tunnels. The George Washington Bridge was opened on Tuesday but other bridges remained closed as inspectors made safety checks.

EVACUATIONS: More than 375,000 people were ordered on Sunday to evacuate low-lying areas in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. More than 3,000 were in emergency shelters as of Monday morning, Mayor Bloomberg said.


POWER/UTILITIES: More than 2 million people without power in New York state, including residents and businesses from lower Manhattan to 39th Street. Governor Andrew Cuomo provided updates on his Twitter account on Tuesday morning.

SOCI AL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

Live updates from The New York Times Metro Desk on Twitter

Live updates from Governor Cuomo

New York mayor's office on Twitter

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Twitter

Rachel Sterne, chief digital officer for New York City, on Twitter

Notify NYC on Twitter

New York State Office of Emergency Management on Twitter

New York State agencies, via NY-Alert, on Twitter

American Red Cross in Greater New York on Facebook

New York City Evacuation Centers on FourSquare

Nassau County Office of Emergency Management on Twitter

Suffolk County Fire Department and Emergency Services on Facebook

Westchester County government on Facebook

Westchester County government on Twitter

Newsday on Long Island on Twitter

Suffolk County News on Twitter

New York 1 Weather Twitter

NORTH CAROLINA

Hurricane Sandy battered hundreds of miles of the North Carolina coast on Monday, causing flooding and damage, but it wreaked the most havoc and cost two people their lives when a 180-foot three-masted ship sank in rough seas near the Outer Banks. The ship is a well-known a replica of the one made famous in the 1960 MGM film “Mutiny on the Bounty.” It was used in the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.”

The Coast Guard staged a daring early-morning helicopter rescue, captured on video, early Monday morning, pulling 14 crew members from the sea. Two people remained missing, according to the Coast Guard.

Th e Coast Guard posted video of rescue.

The ship had set sail from Connecticut, bound for Florida. Although its crew was aware of the impending storm, they believed they could sail around it. But with Hurricane Sandy spanning more than 500 nautical miles, they were unable to avoid running into it.

Bobby Outten, Dare County manager, discussing the impact of the storm on the Outer Banks.

The Hurricane was moving north in the Atlantic far off the North Carolina coast, so the state was not confronted with the full force of the storm. Still, there were reports of major flooding in the Outer Banks, with roads and highways being shut down. One casualty was the Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills.

A Web cam in Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks delivers a live view of the storm.

TRANSPORTATION: Flooding was reported on some highways and roads. State Highway 12 was closed in some places.

FORECAST: Storm surges of four to six feet were predicted, and rainfall of up to eight inches is possible. Inland, there may be significant snowfall along the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

EVACUATIONS: No evacuations were ordered in the state.

POWER/UTILITIES: Scattered power failures were reported.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

North Carolina Emergency Management on Facebook

North Carolina National Guard on Twitter

Cape Fear Red Cross on Twitter

Carolina Region Red Cross

PENNSYLVANIA

Long before Hurricane Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City. at 8 p.m. Monday, the gigantic storm had already been producing steady rain and gusts of wind as high as 55 miles per hour, bringing down trees and power lines and leaving tens of thousands of people without power.

Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia said that about 150 people checked into the city's three emergency shelters by Monday morning, but as the day went on the shelter population swelled. As Jon Hurdle reports, West Philadelphia High School was taking in people seeking refuge.

Among them was Garrett Tate, 56, who was stranded in Philadelphia when trying to return to his home in Atlantic City on Sunday evening, when New Jersey Transit stopped running the trains that connect the cities.

Mr. Tate, who works for a gaming company, said he was not worried about his apartment in Atlantic City, which was forecast to bear the brunt of the hurricane, because the property is on an upper floor.

He welcomed the facilities provided at the West Philadelphia shelter. “I'm very happy to be here,” he said.

As of Monday, the police were advising evacuations, as this video from Darby shows.

As he avy rain lashed Philadelphia on Monday,, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation banned the use of some categories of vehicles, including overweight trucks, tandem trailers, and motorcycles, and adjusted the speed limit.

Gov. Tom Corbett added Pennsylvania to the list of states that declared a state of emergency. All bus, rail and trolley services in the city were suspended and public schools closed.

Mayor Nutter had estimated that as many as 10,000 people in the city live in flood-prone areas and encouraged p eople to make use of the shelters.

“With a storm of this magnitude, we are looking at a multiday restoration,” said Martha Phan, a spokeswoman for Peco, the power utility.

Ms. Phan said 500 field crews, including some from Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, were ready to repair the damage to power lines brought down by falling trees. Ms. Phan warned customers to stay away from any downed power lines, and said people should call (800) 841 4141 to report power failures.

A refinery operated by Philadelphia Energy Solutions was cutting its output in response to the storm, said Cherise Corley, a spokeswoman for the company, which normally processes 330,000 barrels of crude oil a day into petroleum products. “We continue to monitor the storm and take the appropriate precautions. We are currently running at reduced capacity,” she said.

The City of Harrisburg prepared for flash-flooding, tree damage and power failures into Tue sday.

Gov. Tom Corbett discussed preparations for Hurricane Sandy.
Mayor Michael A. Nutter gave an update on preparations for Hurricane Sandy on Sunday.

TRANSPORTATION: All public transportation in Philadelphia was suspended.

EVACUATIONS: Shelters were set up in Philadelphia and made available to more than 10,000 people who live in flood-prone areas.

FORECAST: Major flooding and high winds are expected.

POWER/UTILITIES: Long-term and widespread power failures are expected.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

Mayor Michael A. Nutter on Twitter

America n Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter on Facebook

Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management on YouTube

Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management on Twitter

The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News on Twitter

The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News on Facebook

Glenn Schwartz, a meteorologist for NBC10, on Twitter

NBC10 News on Twitter

6ABC's “Action News” on Twitter

RHODE ISLAND

More than 80,000 customers were without power Tuesday as officials began to assess the damage from the flooding along the Rhode Island coast and inland.

Like much of the East Coast, the state was under a state of emergency Monday, and mandatory evacuation order s were issued in coastal and low-lying parts of Bristol, Charlestown, Middletown, Narrangsett, South Kingstown, Tiverton and Westerly, according to WPRI.com

Although his neighborhood in South Kingstown was evacuated at 6 a.m. Monday, Kevin Finnegan was still inside his bar there, the Ocean Mist, on Monday afternoon, watching the surf. The beach there has been stripped down over the years by coastal erosion, imperiling the shoreline access road, but Mr. Finnegan said that, so far, the storm had actually been good for the beach.

“The first tide was lighter than we thought, it brought in a bunch of sand,” said Mr. Finnegan, hopeful the sand will the beach withstand Monday night's high tide. “But it's not over, it could get worse in the next three to five hours.”

Officials in Newport and East Providence called for voluntary evacuations in those cities.Ten shelters opened around the state for people in areas considered dangerous.

By early Monday e vening, more than 80,000 National Grid customers in Rhode Island were without power.

All the ports in southeastern New England, including Narragansett Bay and Mount Hope Bay, were closed to vessel traffic on Sunday evening, and remained closed Monday.



TRANSPORTATION: With heavy rain and wind in the forecast, bridges could be shut down and roads flooded.
EVACUATIONS: Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for some low-lying communities.
POWER/UTILITIES: More than 80,000 people were without power Monday. Widespread power failures are expected.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

Rhode Island Emergency Management on Facebook

Providence Emergency Management Department on Twitter

Providence Department of Public Safety on Twitter

VIRGINIA

There was significant flooding in Norfolk and Virginia Beach on Monday and other parts along the coast of eastern Virginia, while heavy snow fell in the elevated parts of the state's southwest and western counties.

“You've got flooding in south and southeast Virginia,” Gov. Robert F. McDonnell said. “You've got blizzard in western and southwest Virginia. And you've got high winds and heavy rain in northern Virginia. That's what it's going to look like now for the next 24 to 36 hours.” .

Mr. McDonnell said he would seek an expedited emergency declaration from the federal government to speed aid to battered parts of the state.

“This is going to be a long haul,” he said when he declared a state of emergency before the storm. “We will no doubt have rain and high winds through Tuesday, and in Northern Virginia significant wind and rains into Wednesday. People are going to have to be patient,” he told reporters.

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell outlined emergency plans at a briefing on Sunday.

The coastal area known as Hampton Roads saw flooding early in the day in what Governor McDonnell called an “astronomically high tide” and powerful surf. With more than 100 secondary roads closed because of flooding, the state suspended high-occupancy restrictions to increase use of highways.

Authorities closed the Midtown Tunnel in Norfolk, and some low-lying areas were evacuated.

Ahead of the storm, the commander of United States Fleet Forces ordered all Navy ships in the Hampton Roads area to prepare for a sortie as Hurricane Sandy traveled up the East Coast. The Navy posted a video on YouTube showing the preparations.

The Navy uploaded this video showing preparations for Hurricane Sandy.

TRANSPORTATION: At least 100 secondary roads, as well as parts of Interstate 77, were closed because of flooding, and some areas reported ice on the roads. The state lifted high-occupancy vehicle restrictions on highways. The Midtown Tunnel between Portsmouth and Norfolk was closed.


EVACUATIONS: The state did not mandate any evacuations or order lane reversal to aid traffic away from the coast, but some residents evacuated coastal areas. Governor McDonnell said 28 emergency shelters had been opened.

FORECAST: Coastal hurricane-force winds, prolonged high winds inland, coastal and inland flooding, and heavy snow in the western mountains. Updates for Virginia are at weather.gov.

POWER/UTILITIES: Dominion Virginia Power reported already restoring power to some 40,000 outrages by Monday afternoon, but the number of homes likely to lose power was expected to rise sharply as the full brunt of the storm came ashore. The utility brought in more than 2,500 extra workers to respond to the storm. Long term, widespread power failures were expected.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

Virginia State Police on Facebook

Virginia Department of Emergency Management on Facebook

Virginia Department of Emergency Management on Twitter

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell on Twitter

Virginia Dep artment of Transportation on Twitter

Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia on Twitter

Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia on Facebook

The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk on Twitter

WEST VIRGINIA

This map from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center shows the forecast probabilities:

As Hurricane Sandy collided with a warm front over the Mid-Atlantic on Monday afternoon, rain and heavy, wet snow fell more and more steadily across West Virginia.

Talk of “how much are we going to get” turned into “what's closed,” reports Cynthia McCloud, a writer who is contributing to this report.

Some school districts called off classes for Tuesday. Some counties' government offices will be closed, including courts. Some p eople took out their skis.

Early voting in Morgan County on Tuesday was suspended because of the storm, according to Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. Her office sent out a warning to all early voters to use caution if going to the polls during the storm.

A utility company map of power failures in northern West Virginia showed the number steadily climbing, reaching 6,300 by late afternoon, with most of them in Morgan County, where 3,330 were without power.

Power problems in some cities caused traffic lights to go out. Production in at least one Tucker County coal mine was idled for a time because of a power failure. The mine was operating again by late Monday afternoon.

At least one fatal automobile accident was blamed on the storm.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin outlined preparations at a briefing on Sunday, telling people that they needed to be ready “for all scenarios.”

“Gather batteries, flashlights, bottled water, nonperishable food items, blankets, medications, a battery-operated radio and other necessities. Be sure to check on each other - family, friends and neighbors,” he said in a statement. “Our West Virginia National Guard and other resources are on standby, so that we may act quickly if needed. Our Department of Highway staff is on call and ready - they have tested their plows and other snow equipment and are scheduled to begin work at midnight tonight. Additionally our utility companies are making preparations.”

The June 29 “derecho” windstorm cut off power to hundreds of thousands of the state's residents, and many did not get power back for two weeks. There is a high likelihood that power will take a long time to restore this time, as well.

This time, though, the storm will be followed by cold weather, making shelter a bigger issue. The Charleston Daily Mail reports that T.D. Lively of the state Division of Homeland Security said the American Red Cross had several shelters on standby, adding that “typically West Virginia doesn't have a large need for sheltering because people tend to stay with family.”

TRANSPORTATION: Amtrak service is canceled. All forms of transportation are likely to be paralyzed by the two to three feet of snow expected.

EVACUATIONS: None are expected, but shelters may be needed.

FORECAST: A blizzard with wet snow and high winds, especially at elevations, that could produce more than two feet of snow. Rain and flooding. Updates are available here.

POWER/UTILITIES: Long-term, widespread power failures are expected. Information on how to report a power failure is at appalachianpower.com and dom.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE RESOURCES:

If you lose pwr, report online at http://t.co/1WZo2iCV (mobile outage site too) or call Va1-800-956-4237; WV1-800-982-4237; TN1-800-967-4237

- Appalachian Power (@appalachianpowe) 28 Oct 12

West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Twitter

West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Facebook.

John H. Cushman from Washington, Jon Hurdle from Philadelphia; Brian Stelter from Lewes, Del; Thomas Kaplan from Little Egg Harbor, N.J. Jennifer Preston, Christine Hauser, Cynthia McCloud, Sharon Otterman, Marc Santora and Michael Schwirtz from New York contributed to this report.