“This is the most catastrophic event that we have faced and been able to plan for in any of our lifetimes,” said Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy on Monday night as Hurricane Sandy hit land with 80-90 mile an hour winds and terrible ferocity. “This is the largest storm-related outage in our history,” said Con Edison Senior Vice President for Electric Operations John Miksad.
And it’s not over yet. The superstorm will still have a destructive impact for the next 24 hours or so and millions of Americans are reeling at the effect of the last 24 hours. At least 18 people have died due to the massive storm. More than 8 million are without power. It may take days to get power restored, even as temperatures plummet. Some are experiencing blizzard conditions due to the storm. Economic losses will likely top the damages done during Hurricane Irene last year, which was enormously expensive.
It could have been much worse. Many cities and states that expected to be hit as hard as New York and New Jersey were seriously impacted, but not nearly as badly as they had expected. That was certainly true here in the D.C. area. “The Washington area escaped the worst of the devastation brought to the East Coast by Hurricane Sandy, although more than 150,000 households were without power Tuesday morning and at least two local deaths were being attributed to the storm,” reported the Washington Post. “Rain and winds had tapered off considerably in the Washington area by Tuesday morning, and temperatures had dropped to a chilly 40 or so degrees. Scattered flooding, downed trees and felled branches prompted another another day of shuttered schools and government offices , and officials warned that flooding could worsen as the tide rises and as storm-swollen rivers and creeks flow from the north and west into local waterways. But the predictions of near-apocalyptic destruction did not come true for the nation’s capital.”
Please be praying for the many who were terribly affected by the storm, and by those who have lost loved ones and property. Many narrowly escaped death, and are now wrestling with questions about why they were spared and what faces them in the afterlife. Pray, too, for government officials overseeing recovery operations, for wisdom and direction. Pray for the crews working around the clock to restore power, for safety and for their success. At the same time, please pray that millions of Americans would wake up to their need to repent of their sins and give their lives wholly and completely to the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that families are turning back to reading the Bible and praying, eager to know the Lord personally and ready to follow Him for the rest of their lives. God has used terrible storms throughout history to get people’s attention. Let’s pray that that is the result now, as well. As we pray for the Lord to show great mercy to people, let’s also pray that God would use this hurricane to set into motion a spiritual revival that will rescue our country from implosion.
“And when he [Jesus] got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing.’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’” (Matthew 8:23-27, ESV)
Here’s a snapshot of the latest developments:
- At least 18 storm-related deaths in the U.S. (revised upwards from 16 a few hours ago)
- 8 million Americans without power (Weather Channel)
- “Losses May Exceed Those of 2011 Storm” (WSJ)
- “Superstorm Sandy to Cause at Least $20 Billion in Damage — and Possibly Much More” (Time)
- “Sandy’s Economic Impact Could Exceed $10 Billion A Day” (CNBC)
- More than 14,600 flights canceled (WSJ)
- State-by-state impact (AP)
- New York: “A record storm surge that was higher than predicted along with high winds damaged the electrical system and plunged millions of people into darkness. Utilities say it could be up to a week before power is fully restored.” (AP)
- Superstorm Sandy causes flooding in New York City (AP)
- “Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey called the damage to his state ‘incalculable’ and said the Jersey Shore had been ‘devastated.’” (NYT)
- “The storm was the most destructive in the 108-year history of New York’s subway system, said Joseph J. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.” (NYT)
- Photos of devastation in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
- Washington, D.C. escapes worst-case scenario, but still largely shut down (Washington Post)
- Sandy spawns heavy snow over Appalachia (Gannett)
- Superstorm Sandy dropping snow, closing schools in West North Carolina (News 4, North Carolina)
- Sandy sweeps snow showers into Indiana (WISH-TV 8, Indiana)
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