NYC, Long Island begin gasoline rationing

New York City and Long Island began rationing Friday to ease a gasoline crisis from Hurricane Sandy that officials said could last two more weeks.

The new rules let cars fuel up only if the last number of the license plate matches the day's date -- even-numbered license plates on even-numbered days and odd-numbered on odd days.

Plates ending with a letter are considered odd-numbered. People filling up gas cans are not affected -- nor are buses, taxis and emergency vehicles, officials said.

New Jersey began gas rationing Saturday.

"This is not a step that we take lightly," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "But given the shortages we will face over the next few weeks, and the growing frustrations of New Yorkers, we believe it is the right step."

Bloomberg said only about a quarter of the city's roughly 800 gas stations were open at any given time, adding the fuel shortage could last another couple of weeks.

Gasbuddy.com said nearly 70 percent of Long Island gas stations were empty.

Federal, state and local efforts to resolve the gasoline crisis were set back by Wednesday's nor'easter, officials said. The storm temporarily halted efforts to repair oil and gasoline terminals and prevented barges carrying fuel from reaching their docks, The New York Times said.

The major utilities said 761,000 customers were still without power, down from 8.5 million shortly after Sandy hit 10 days ago.

Two major New York-area tunnels were to reopen Friday -- one for cars and the other for trains.

The 72-year-old twin-tube Queens-Midtown Tunnel, a highway tunnel crossing under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens, was to reopen at 6 a.m. Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The 62-year-old Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, which at one point had water up to its ceiling, remained closed with no reopening date. That twin-tube tunnel crosses under the East River between Manhattan and the borough of Brooklyn.

Amtrak said it expects that by the end of Friday it would reopen a flooded commuter-rail tunnel under the Hudson River to let New Jersey Transit trains get to New York's Pennsylvania Station, a major intercity train station and commuter rail hub normally serving more than 300,000 passengers a day.

Amtrak and New Jersey Transit have been using just one Hudson River tunnel since Nov. 2 after Hurricane Sandy flooded the second tunnel.

source: upi.com

How adobo, tabo helped Fil-Ams face superstorm

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipina living in New York said instincts that come from being a Filipino helped them prepare for superstorm “Sandy”.

Pam Tanjuatco, a New York resident who works in New Jersey, told ANC’s “Prime Time” on Thursday that from her experience and from the lives of other Filipinos she has spoken to, the Filipino community in the US East Coast faced the disaster with calm.

Tanjuatco attributes the composed anticipation to their experiences back home during disasters.

“We approached this with an instinct, with some sort of calm, and I think it has to do with the fact that we’ve experienced this many times in the past. It’s funny because when word came out that Sandy was going to hit us, our first instinct was to make 'igib' water to make sure that we had water,” she said.

Tanjuatco added that she may have been the only one in her building with a “tabo” (water dipper) and a “balde” (pail).

She also said Filipinos had an advantage in preparing food that would not easily spoil in the event of a power outage: the Filipino dish “adobo”.

“In the supermarket, our instinct was to buy food that would keep. I was thinking, ‘OK, I’ll make adobo just in case we ran out of power or our refrigerators won’t be working, so at least we’ll have food that will keep,’” she said.

“It is this instinct that makes me kind of proud because of how Filipinos behave this way. It’s definitely something we’ve seen before. I’ll liken this maybe to ‘Milenyo’. I didn’t experience ‘Milenyo’ but I saw pictures of the devastation,” she added.

The superstorm hit southern New Jersey on Monday, bringing hurricane-strong winds and heavy rains that Tanjuatco can only describe as “surreal.”

She said during the height of the storm, she attempted to go outside of her New York apartment to check the surroundings.

“It was like a movie…The sky was lit, it was weird. It was a bright sky and then you realize it was because of transformers exploding everywhere. So you hear that, too,” said Tanjuatco.

Tanjuatco believes that aside from her instincts, which she attributed to being a Filipino, it was also the early warnings from the local government that helped her prepare for the storm.

She said the 3 states badly hit by Sandy—New York, New Jersey and Connecticut—had been prepared a week before the storm even hit.

Several states had also declared a state of emergency even before the storm made landfall.

Officials also ordered a mandatory evacuation in low-lying areas, urging residents to flee to higher ground.

Lessons from US response

Edgar Ollet, head of the Philippine National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) operations center, explained to ANC that there is a big difference between how local governments in the US and the Philippines handle disasters.

“Perception in the US is different. It’s more upscale in terms of how they handle the information. They are science-based and they work together and the way they communicate it to the people periodically, the regularity and the platform,” said Ollet.

He said Filipinos also have the tendency to only “follow the leaders whom they trust.”

“Filipinos are more personal rather than just viewing it from the TV or radio, that is why it is good to strengthen the community-based strategy for Filipinos,” he said.

Ollet also pointed out that the US had implemented protocols days before the storm hit land.

“Protocols are in place and the federal [government] knew what had to be done. The evacuation was 2 to 3 days ahead, so the expectation and the anticipation is there,” he said.

He also cited language barrier and access to information as problems in disaster management in the Philippines.

“Here in the Philippines, the cities in Metro Manila have the edge in terms of accessing the information, but the rural may not have [access],” he said.

Ollet said the government has been working towards sufficiency in funding preemptive measures, rather than taking on a reactionary approach.

But he admits that a lot still has to be done, including working on the comprehensive land use plan and upgrading technology to forecast typhoons.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Sandy's U.S. death toll at least 70

U.S. President Obama said Wednesday victims of Hurricane Sandy will "get all the help you need" and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said "we will get up."

The megastorm killed at least 70 people in the United States, including 24 in New York City alone, The New York Times reported, after leaving a like number dead in the Caribbean. Property damage could be as high as $20 billion throughout the Northeast, catastrophe-risk modeling firm EQECAT said.

Speaking in Brigantine, N.J., after a tour of damage caused by the massive storm, Obama said: "We are here for you and we will not forget. We will follow up to make sure that you get all the help you need until you rebuild."

Christie thanked Obama for his "personal concern" for New Jersey and said, "We will get up and we will get this thing rebuilt."

Christie said New Jersey's "challenge now is to get back to normalcy," and he once again expressed gratitude to Obama for the administration's response to the disaster.

"I'm pleased to report that he has sprung into action immediately ... while we were riding in the car together," Christie said of the president.

Obama's tour of the Garden State came as the storm headed toward Canada.

At least 6.2 million customers were without power Wednesday -- down from an estimated 8 million late Tuesday -- and more than 18,000 flights had been canceled since Sandy first started moving along the East Coast, after causing at least 67 deaths in the Caribbean.

Repair crews were reporting progress Wednesday in restoring electrical service to hundreds of thousands in West Virginia, but Kanawha County Manager Jennifer Sayre said in a release it might take until Sunday to get all service restored, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported.

By Wednesday morning, the number of Appalachian Power customers without service was about 118,000 -- down from almost 126,000 Tuesday night, the power company said.

In the northern part of West Virginia, First Energy said 100,725 of its customers were without electricity Wednesday morning, down from almost 110,000 Tuesday night -- but more service disruptions were reported later Wednesday because of new snow accumulations.

First Energy said power would not be fully restored until next week.

Dominion Virginia Power said Wednesday it has restored service to more than 90 percent of its 205,000 Northern Virginia customers affected by the storm, and -- with a few exceptions -- full restoration is expected by Thursday night.

During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the federal response to the disaster is intended to "get resources where they are needed as fast as possible without delays."

"We're asking everyone to be patient as we work with all speed we can to ... restore the necessities of life to areas affected by this storm," she said.

Red Cross Senior Vice President of Disaster Services Charley Shimanski said the organization's needs come down to two main items: blood and money. He said the storm has caused cancellation of large numbers of blood drives, putting a great strain on supplies, and he noted that providing shelter, food and other services in storm-damaged areas is very expensive.

In New York City, the state Metropolitan Transportation Authority restarted limited suburban commuter-rail service Wednesday and will resume limited subway service Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Significant sections of the largest U.S. mass-transit system remained disabled.

Commuter-rail service was available on the Metro-North Commuter Railroad to the northern suburbs in New York and Connecticut and the Long Island Rail Road, between Manhattan and the length of Long Island. Limited subway service was to be restored between Manhattan and Brooklyn, Cuomo said.

Newark Liberty International and Kennedy International airports resumed operations, but many airlines still operated on a limited basis, said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the New York-area airports. LaGuardia Airport remained closed after suffering damage.

Stewart International Airport, 55 miles north of the city, also was open with limited service, the Port Authority said.

Philadelphia International Airport officials said operations were resuming Wednesday.

Amtrak said Wednesday it will provide modified Northeast Regional service beginning Thursday between Boston and New Haven, Conn., and between Newark, N.J., and points south. Amtrak said it will also operate shuttle service trains between Springfield, Mass., and New Haven, Keystone Service trains between Harrisburg, Pa., and Philadelphia, and Downeaster service trains between Boston and Portland, Maine, along with additional overnight services to and from the Northeast.

The announcement said Amtrak plans to restore modified service into and out of New York City Friday.

But no Northeast Regional service is planned between Newark and New Haven and no Acela Express service will be available for the length of the Northeast Corridor Thursday.

A huge fire burned on Mantoloking Island off the New Jersey shore, where flames could be seen shooting directly out of the sand, WABC-TV, New York, reported.

New Jersey authorities believe a gas main explosion may be the cause of the fire that spread quickly across the island, destroying several homes, the report said.

Firefighters could not reach the blaze due to storm damage on the roads leading to the island.

Neighborhoods in New Jersey were still deluged with water as Obama surveyed damage by helicopter and met with victims of the storm with Christie.

Obama, Christie and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate took an aerial tour aboard the presidential helicopter Marine One of New Jersey areas damaged by the storm and then went to Brigantine, an island northeast of Atlantic City -- where the president told residents gathered at a community center Christie "is working overtime to make sure that as soon as possible everybody can get back to normal."

Christie told the audience it is "really important to have the president of the United States acknowledge all the suffering that's going on here in New Jersey and I appreciate it very much. We're going to work together to make sure we get ourselves through this crisis and get everything back to normal. Thank you for coming, sir."

Christie -- the keynote speaker at this year's Republican National Convention and a harsh critic of the president at times -- is drawing some criticism from conservatives and other fellow Republicans for his effusive praise of Obama's handling of the storm response.

NBC News reported Christie said he would ask Obama to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to look into rebuilding beaches to protect towns, but he said "it won't be the same because some of the iconic things are washed into the ocean."

Much of the famed Boardwalk in Atlantic City was destroyed and the resort city for gambling and conventions was all but submerged.

The U.S. Navy Wednesday sent three helicopter carrier ships -- the USS Wasp, USS Carter Hall and USS Mesa Verde -- to the New Jersey and New York coasts, NBC reported. The ships are to function as landing platforms for military and civilian agency helicopters if needed, officials said.

The National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center said in its 11 a.m. EDT advisory winds, rain and snowfall were diminishing, and gale warnings were in effect for portions of the Great Lakes. Winds were expected to diminish, but coastal flooding along portions of the Great Lakes was possible, forecasters said.

Rather than identifying a location for the center of the storm, forecasters said multiple centers of circulation associated with the storm were across the lower Great Lakes.

Flood watches and warnings were posted across New England and flood warnings were in effect for portions of the northern mid-Atlantic region.

Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories were in effect along the central Appalachians, and the mountains of West Virginia into western Maryland and southwest Pennsylvania were likely to get another 2 to 4 inches of snow. West Virginia has already had 3 feet of snow and at least 2 feet of snow has fallen in parts of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.

New York City's Bellevue Hospital Center was evacuating 500 patients Wednesday because of problems keeping the building powered.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital said Wednesday it has resumed performing surgical procedures and its emergency departments and dialysis centers are fully operational.

The hospital said it is still receiving patients from other area hospitals.

Obama signed federal emergency declarations for 10 states and the District of Columbia and spoke with 20 governors and mayors on a conference call.

New York financial markets resumed trading Wednesday even though much of the city was without electricity.

At least 80 homes caught fire and burned in a Queens neighborhood.

New York's subway system suffered the most devastating damage from floodwaters in the system's 108-year history, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota said Tuesday. The New York Harbor saltwater that gushed into subway tunnels may have corroded signal and switching systems, he said.

He said service would not be fully restored for at least four or five days.

New York buses began running again Tuesday afternoon and Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered a ride-sharing program for taxis.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut reopened many closed roads and bridges.

New York police executed several daring air rescues, dropping lifelines to rescue at least six people, including a child, the Times reported.

Police said there haven't been any signs of looting or other indications of crimes of opportunity taking place because of the storm, the Times said.

During an evening news conference Tuesday, Bloomberg said more police would be part of overnight shifts in the parts of the city still in darkness.

"This is the calm after the storm," one police officer told the Times.

Dangerous surf conditions were expected from Florida to New England for the next couple of days.

source: upi.com

Filipinos in US hunker down for superstorm

Storm preparations of some Americans may seem a bit exaggerated to some Filipinos who have lived in the Philippines, a country hit by about 20 storms annually.

“Ang biruan ng mga Pinoy dito napaka-OA ng mga Amerikano. Lagi namin joke yun kasi we overprepare in a good way,” said Alladin Bacolodan, a former ABS-CBN reporter who is now a Maryland resident.

Bacolodan said Filipinos are used to typhoons. “You’ve seen the worst when you have lived in the Philippines,” he said.

However, he also admitted that megastorm Sandy is different.

“The truth is - this is really a reason to prepare because this is really unusual,” he said.

The National Hurricane Center downgraded Sandy to a post-tropical cyclone as it crashed into the US coast near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The megastorm has so far claimed the lives of 13 people in US and Canada.

Strong winds and heavy rains continue to pound most of the East Coat resulting to heavy flooding in a lot of cities and towns in at least 11 states and the District of Columbia.

Power outage is the biggest concern now with more than two million people without electricity.

The national and local government implemented stringent measures, including mandatory evacuations, imposing curfew and travel ban, to encourage people in the path of the storm to remain indoors for their own safety.

“Right now, there is a ban for you to go outside. You’re not even allowed to drive a car. You can be arrested for doing that,” Bacolodan said.

“Like today in Maryland, they’ve announced you cannot go out unless you’re a medical officer, a part of the rescue team, or working in a hospital or some medical facility.”

That, he said, gives them no other choice but to remain indoors.

“That differentiates us from there. Kasi dyan, may katigasan tayo ng ulo. Dito, kailangan talagang sumunod dahil mahuhuli ka,” he said.

60 million affected

The storm, he added, is really huge affecting about 60 million people or about 20 percent of the US population.

Of the 60 million, 460,000 are Filipinos living in at least 13 states in the east coast.

He said the highest concentration of Filipinos in the east coast is in New Jersey with 110,000; New York, 104,000; 66,000 in Virginia and about 44,000 in Maryland.

“The Philippine Embassy in D.C. and the Consulate in New York are closed today. But Ambassador Jose Cuisia issued an advisory to brace for the worst and keep an eye for each other in case someone needs help,” Bacolodan reported.

A duty officer is likewise on standby in both the embassy and the consulate to receive calls from Filipinos needing immediate help.

Filipino community leaders have been notified to keep in touch with members for any development or emergencies.

Like most residents, Filipinos there have done their part in preparing for the worst by stocking on supplies like food, water, and emergency kits.

Well prepared

In New York, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau correspondent Don Tagala said most Filipinos he knows have prepared well before the storm.

“A lot of people I know went out Sunday before the hurricane came in. They went to Filipino stores to buy canned goods, emergency supplies,” Tagala said.

In Manhattan, freelance correspondent Cat Sandoval is among the many Filipinos bracing for superstorm Sandy.

Sandoval reported to ANC that many parts of the city are already flooded, without power. She added that most residents are well prepared because of early warnings from authorities.

“I think what's really good, the mayor did a really good job of warning people, the government did as well, so people are pretty safe,” Sandoval said.

Another New York resident Bernadette Corpuz-Perez is waiting it out in her apartment.

“We’re doing ok. We were warned by Mayor Bloomberg so we stocked up on food and water. Everything is fine on our side,” she said.

Perez said Manhattan is one of the areas without power.

“Our service elevator is not working so it’s really 19 flights of stairs going down. We’ve been here since Sunday. We were warned to stay home because it’s safer. We were able to go outside this morning just to get supplies but since then we’ve been stuck here in the apartment,” she said.

It was a good thing, she said, that they were informed early on to prepare as water was also turned off.

“We're hoping it will be over soon. We don’t have TV that can guide us on what's happening outside, but so far for Manhattan, I think the worse is over,” she said.

Perez has been in New York for more than 10 years and had seen the worst kind of tragedy in the 9/11 attacks.

“Were not used to this kind of calamity in New York, but were very prepared,” said Perez.

“What's great about New York is that were always getting feedback from our politicians. So we’re warned. I’ve been here long enough to know that people are actually out there--we have policemen and firefighters ready to help,” she said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Apocalyptic scenes as New York bears brunt of Sandy

NEW YORK - Hurricane Sandy turned New York into a disaster zone on Monday as a record storm surge sent seawater pouring into Manhattan, sweeping cars down streets as the city was plunged into darkness.

The Empire State Building remained an eerie beacon of light as 250,000 Manhattan homes were deprived of power, while emergency officials confirmed at least one 30-year-old man had died, killed by a falling tree in Queens.

The East River and the Hudson River flooded subway and car tunnels and several feet of seawater swamped into Battery Park at the foot of Lower Manhattan, with waters rising and the rain showing no sign of abating.

"Lower Manhattan is being covered by seawater. I am not exaggerating. Sea water is rushing into the Battery Tunnel," said Howard Glaser, director of operations for the New York state government.

The Battery Tunnel is a road tunnel linking the south end of Manhattan, New York's financial center, to Long Island under the East River.

Local energy supplier Con Edison reported that 250,000 customers had lost power in Manhattan alone.

In addition to the surging waters of the East and Hudson rivers, the city was by battered by what the National Weather Service called "hurricane-force gusts" of more than 90 miles per hour (145 kilometers per hour).

As the evening tide hit its height the storm surge was a record 13.7 feet (4.2 meters). Before Hurricane Sandy made landfall, forecasters had warned than any more than 11 feet could cause catastrophic flooding.

Cars could be seen afloat in several Manhattan streets, and the facade of a six-story building collapsed.

Local broadcaster WNBC said some houses on Staten Island were "flooded up to their attics," while the New York police department sought boats to conduct rescue missions there and on Brooklyn's Coney Island.

Floods swamped cars in Brooklyn, while fierce gusts pushed over a crane on a Manhattan skyscraper -- leaving it dangling perilously atop the 90-story luxury apartment.

The boom of the crane swayed in the fierce gusts over streets near Central Park that police and fire services evacuated because of the risk that it could fall.

Gas and water pipes at street level were closed and city engineers and fire department experts climbed the 1,004-foot (306-meter) building to assess the danger.

In another spectacular demonstration of its power, the hurricane pulled off the facade of a three-story building in the Chelsea district. Again no injuries were reported.

Tens of thousands of people ignored appeals by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to leave the districts at risk.

"If water is coming into your home, go to the highest area," Bloomberg advised citizens as he held a hastily-arranged press conference amid the worst of the carnage.

"It's still very dangerous and from now until the storm is well passed you just have to shelter in place. You need to stay wherever you are. Let me repeat that. You have to stay wherever you are."

New York authorities had earlier closed the subway train system and nearly all tunnels and bridges that take traffic off Manhattan as the full force of Sandy hit America's biggest city.

With Wall Street closed for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks and the city at a near standstill, police went to several districts with loud speakers and special buses trying to persuade people to move.

New York state also called up more than 2,100 National Guard troops on Sunday and Monday to patrol threatened districts.

Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order for 375,000 people at risk from a storm surge predicted to be over 11 feet (3.5 meters), but the majority decided to brave it out.

As night fell, Bloomberg had warned that it may be too late to get away.

On the streets of Manhattan, police cars used to block streets gradually retreated as flood water moved further into the island.

Schools and landmark attractions such as the Empire State Building were all closed and were to stay closed Tuesday. Hardly a car ventured onto the streets.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Sandy complicates final stretch of tense US presidential race

WASHINGTON - A tense and unpredictable race for the White House became even more so on Monday, as mammoth storm Sandy created delicate political challenges for President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney and raised the possibility of a chaotic voting process.

As the deadly storm barreled ashore on the paralyzed East Coast, the presidential campaign went into what amounted to a deep freeze just when Obama and Romney had planned to launch their final push for votes in the Nov. 6 election.

Suddenly, the final eight days of what has been a bitter fight for the hearts of voters in a politically divided electorate has become a test of crisis leadership for Obama - and a time when harsh political rhetoric seems out of line.

Both sides promised to put aside politics to deal with the fallout from the storm. But privately, they fretted about the storm's potential impact on a week of candidate appearances and door-to-door campaigning by volunteers that is so crucial in get-out-the-vote efforts.

There also is concern about the impact on early voting - a priority for both campaigns but especially Obama's - and Election Day itself, if predictions that millions of people and their polling precincts could be without power well into next week come true.

"It's a totally unpredictable situation that can play out in many different ways, with risks and rewards for both candidates - which is exactly why political consultants on both sides are very scared right now," said Julian Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University in New Jersey.

The crisis gives Obama, who as president is chiefly responsible for the government's response to the storm, an opportunity to show the presidential leadership that Romney frequently accuses him of lacking.

If Obama is seen as falling short, the memory of the political damage suffered by then President George W. Bush and his Republicans over the government's botched response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is a haunting reminder of the consequences.

On the other hand, a strong effort by Obama's White House in responding to the storm could provide a positive, lasting image to Americans as they head to the polls next week - assuming polling places will have power and be open.

Obama canceled campaign rallies planned for Monday and Tuesday and returned to the White House from Florida to meet with federal emergency officials.

Romney's team, after initially making plans to continue campaigning, apparently reconsidered and announced late Monday morning that the former Massachusetts governor would cancel a rally in Wisconsin on Monday night, and its schedule on Tuesday as well.

Romney joined Obama in appealing for donations to the Red Cross and offered sympathy for those in the storm's path.

For Romney, the hurricane threatens to sideline him for precious days in the campaign's final week, disrupting his efforts to cast himself as the candidate with momentum in the presidential race.

It also forces the Republican challenger to walk a fine line when considering whether to launch political attacks against Obama as the president deals with a crisis.

And if the government's response to the storm is broadly deemed a success, it could be a stark reminder that Romney has advocated dramatically cutting back funding for federal relief agencies, saying that such duties should be shifted to the states or perhaps the private sector.

"This throws a monkey wrench into the campaign for both sides," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell said. "Nobody wants to look political in the middle of a crisis."

Without official duties to carry out, Romney could be relegated to visiting local relief centers while trying not to hinder rescue workers. Romney's running mate, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, told supporters at a Florida rally on Monday that the campaign would turn its attention to helping those affected by the storm.

In contrast, Obama can use the full power of the presidency to issue directives and announcements, and play the role of sympathizer-in-chief - as he did on Monday, when he appeared in the White House briefing room to announce storm preparations and urge those in Sandy's path to take cover.

"I'm not worried at this point about the impact on the election," Obama said in response to a reporter's question about the campaign. "I'm worried about the impact on families, and I'm worried about our first responders."

States oversee elections

The storm already has disrupted early voting in several states - including Virginia, one of eight or so key battleground states in the presidential race.

But as the scope of the potential damage from Sandy became clear on Monday, there was speculation over whether Election Day voting could be affected, and whether voting might be prolonged to allow people to get to the polls.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate said there could be a lingering effect on Election Day, and he promised the agency would help any state requesting it. He said FEMA was examining how much it can pay to help rebuild any polling stations destroyed in the storm.

It would take an act of Congress to change the election from its legally prescribed date: the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

But because the details of carrying out U.S. elections are left to the states, any decisions on whether to extend voting hours for the election would more likely be made on a state-by-state basis.

That creates the potential for uneven responses to any disruption in voting - and the possibility that state politics could affect such decisions.

For example, one state could extend voting hours on Nov. 6 to make it easier for people to reach the polls and offer more options for early voting or voting by mail to ensure that every eligible voter could cast a ballot.

But another could stick to the same hours, even if it means many residents could not cast ballots.

Sandy's impact could be greater in rural areas, where Romney generally is more popular than Obama. Power typically is restored more quickly in cities, urban roads are less likely to stay blocked by flooding or downed trees and residents are more likely to be able to walk to their polling places.

In theory, a state could bypass the public altogether and have its legislature choose the "electors" who decide who the state will back for president. The U.S. Constitution does not mandate that electors are chosen by popular vote.

A Democrat-controlled state, such as Massachusetts or Maryland, could pick electors to support Obama.

But a state's Republican-controlled legislature - such as in Ohio or in Virginia, where Governor Bob McDonnell is co-chairman of Romney's campaign - could ensure its votes went to Romney.

This scenario worries some Democrats, who note that Florida, which decided the bitterly contested 2000 election, was governed by Jeb Bush, brother of Republican George W. Bush, who won the presidential race despite losing the popular vote by half a million votes.

A "slap in the face"?

It is unclear how enthusiastic many Americans along the East Coast will be about voting after dealing with the storm and its fallout for more than a week before Election Day.

Obama's handling of the storm could inspire or anger some voters, but some analysts said voters might be in a foul mood regardless of the president's performance.

The storm "could be a slap in the face that adds to a depressed feeling," Zelizer said. "Obama wants to end this campaign on brighter images of the economy doing well, not on images of people suffering and struggling."

Fergus Cullen, a former Republican state chairman in New Hampshire, played down the hurricane's potential impact on the election.

"If anything, this will give both campaigns a little breather," Cullen said. "I don't think the response to the storm is going to change many minds at this point."

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Hurricane Sandy grounds 15,000 US flights

NEW YORK - Nearly 15,000 flights were grounded on Monday as the powerful storm Sandy thwarted travel up and down the US East Coast with powerful winds and blinding rain that could linger for days.

The number is expected to grow as the slow-moving cyclone churns inland after making landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey and combines with a cold front coming down from Canada that could whip up as much as three feet of snow.

Tens of thousands were stranded as the mega storm's impact on air travel was felt as far afield as Asia and Europe, delaying business trips and ruining holiday plans just ahead of Wednesday's popular Halloween family festival.

Pablo Gomez decided to drive the 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from New York to home in Chicago after his 6:00 am Monday flight was cancelled.

"The drive is exhausting, but they said I might not get back until Thursday," Gomez, 41, told AFP.

Gomez left Sunday evening to avoid highway closures and the oncoming storm but didn't get home until Monday at dinner time after lengthy delays.

"The roads aren't too bad, just a lot of rain," the university professor said Monday morning from Ohio.

"I wouldn't have known anything was going on if it weren't for all the electricity trucks -- the big ones -- driving the other way."

At Washington's Reagan National Airport, Italian exchange student Joelle Carota, 21, said she has been waiting 36 hours for a flight to Rochester in upstate New York and is taking it with patient resignation.

Carota slept Sunday night in a seat at the airport, plans to do the same Monday night, and said people at National are taking the delays in stride, as they know how dangerous the weather is.

It is her first brush with a potentially deadly storm.

"I have always seen this kind of thing on the news. Now here I am, and it is sort of strange," Carota, who is studying English and Spanish at Nazareth College in Rochester, told AFP. "Here, it is safe. I am safe."

Damien Cirotteau, 35, was in New York on holiday from Paris with his wife and two young children.

They were supposed to be flying to San Francisco on Monday. Instead, he was scrambling for a place to stay after Jet Blue told him they wouldn't get there until Friday.

"The kids weren't happy about being stuck inside all day, it's hard for them to be patient," he told AFP.

Three smaller coastal airports shut down completely Monday and many others -- including as far inland as Philadelphia -- might as well have, as nearly every flight was cancelled.

Some 1,371 flights were cancelled on Sunday as airlines prepared for the storm, according to the online aviation tracking service flightaware.com.

Another 7,744 were cancelled Monday, including 1,220 in Philadelphia and around 1,000 at each of New York's three airports.

A further 5,269 flights have already been cancelled for Tuesday and 487 on Wednesday.

Subway services, buses and commuter trains were shut down in New York, Philadelphia and Washington and Amtrak suspended rail services in the region.

Safety fears over the monster storm caused disruption as far away as Hong Kong and France even before the hurricane reached the US coast after barreling across parts of the Caribbean and leaving 66 people dead.

The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, Eurocontrol, said 300 of the usual 500-odd flights between Europe and the US had been cancelled, with more expected.

In Asia, Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific announced it was scrapping a total of eight direct flights between the southern Chinese city and New York on Monday and Tuesday.

Flights from India and Japan were also affected, as were flights from Canada, Mexico and Latin America.

source: abs-cbnnews.com