Flooding persists on US coast
Source: Agencies |
November 2, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
New York City moved closer to resuming its frenetic pace by getting back its vital subways yesterday, three days after a superstorm, but neighboring New Jersey was stunned by coastal devastation and the news of thousands of people in one city still stranded by increasingly fetid flood waters.
The decision to reopen undamaged parts of the United States' largest transit system came as the death toll reached more than 70 in the US and left more than 4.6 million homes and businesses without power. Hurricane Sandy earlier left another at least 69 people dead as it swept through the Caribbean.
In New York, people streamed into the city as service began to resume on commuter train and subway. The three major airports resumed at least limited service, and the New York Stock Exchange was open again. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - the busiest train line in the country - was to take commuters along the heavily populated East Coast again starting today.
But hundreds of people lined up for buses, traffic jammed for kilometers and long gas lined formed.
And hundreds of thousands in New York City alone were still without power, especially in Lower Manhattan, which remained in the dark roughly south of the Empire State Building after floodwaters had knocked out power.
Concerns rose over the elderly and poor all but trapped on upper floors of housing complexes in the powerless area, who faced pitch-black hallways, elevators and dwindling food. New York's governor ordered food deliveries to help them. New York dipped to about 4.44 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night.
Rima Finzi-Strauss was fleeing her apartment and taking a bus to Washington. "We had three guys sitting out in the lobby last night with candlelight, and very threatening folks were passing by in the pitch black," she said. "And everyone's leaving. That makes it worse."
In New Jersey, the once-pristine Atlantic coastline famous for the TV show "Jersey Shore" was shattered. President Barack Obama joined Governor Chris Christie in a helicopter tour of the devastation on Wednesday and told evacuees, "We are here for you. We are not going to tolerate red tape. We are not going to tolerate bureaucracy."
Across the Hudson River from New York City, the floodwaters were slowly receding in the city of Hoboken, where an estimated 20,000 people had remained in their homes. The National Guard was helping with evacuations, but residents were warned not to walk around in water that was tainted with sewage and chemicals from the heavily industrial region.
New Jersey residents across the state were urged to conserve water. At least 1.7 million customers remained without electricity there, and fights broke out as people waited in long lines for gas.
The superstorm's effects, though much weakened, continued yesterday. Snow drifts as high as 1.5 meters piled up in West Virginia, where the former hurricane merged with two winter weather systems as it went inland.
The decision to reopen undamaged parts of the United States' largest transit system came as the death toll reached more than 70 in the US and left more than 4.6 million homes and businesses without power. Hurricane Sandy earlier left another at least 69 people dead as it swept through the Caribbean.
In New York, people streamed into the city as service began to resume on commuter train and subway. The three major airports resumed at least limited service, and the New York Stock Exchange was open again. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor - the busiest train line in the country - was to take commuters along the heavily populated East Coast again starting today.
But hundreds of people lined up for buses, traffic jammed for kilometers and long gas lined formed.
And hundreds of thousands in New York City alone were still without power, especially in Lower Manhattan, which remained in the dark roughly south of the Empire State Building after floodwaters had knocked out power.
Concerns rose over the elderly and poor all but trapped on upper floors of housing complexes in the powerless area, who faced pitch-black hallways, elevators and dwindling food. New York's governor ordered food deliveries to help them. New York dipped to about 4.44 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night.
Rima Finzi-Strauss was fleeing her apartment and taking a bus to Washington. "We had three guys sitting out in the lobby last night with candlelight, and very threatening folks were passing by in the pitch black," she said. "And everyone's leaving. That makes it worse."
In New Jersey, the once-pristine Atlantic coastline famous for the TV show "Jersey Shore" was shattered. President Barack Obama joined Governor Chris Christie in a helicopter tour of the devastation on Wednesday and told evacuees, "We are here for you. We are not going to tolerate red tape. We are not going to tolerate bureaucracy."
Across the Hudson River from New York City, the floodwaters were slowly receding in the city of Hoboken, where an estimated 20,000 people had remained in their homes. The National Guard was helping with evacuations, but residents were warned not to walk around in water that was tainted with sewage and chemicals from the heavily industrial region.
New Jersey residents across the state were urged to conserve water. At least 1.7 million customers remained without electricity there, and fights broke out as people waited in long lines for gas.
The superstorm's effects, though much weakened, continued yesterday. Snow drifts as high as 1.5 meters piled up in West Virginia, where the former hurricane merged with two winter weather systems as it went inland.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
