[1:43 p.m. ET]Voters in some New York counties still in the dark from Hurricane Sandy could get a second day to vote if voter turnout falls below 25%, according to state board spokesman Thomas Connolly speaking to CNN on Monday. Counties with significantly lowered turnout can request a second voting day, which would take place within 20 days of Tuesday's official presidential election.
Nassau County Elections Commissioner William Biamonte told expects a "significant drop off" in the turnout of Long Island voters who are without basic necessities like shelter, electricity, adequate food and warm clothes in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
"A lot of people that are displaced ... they're worried about getting their lives back, and whether they're going to go back to an area where they've lost power, or their home has been lost, rather than take care of what their immediate needs are, that's a big question," Biamonte said.
It is unclear how a second day of voting would impact the election returns and the announcement of the winner. President Obama is expected to easily win the New York electoral college.
[12:01 p.m. ET] New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating hundreds of reports of price gouging in areas of affected by Hurricane Sandy, and is urging New Yorkers to continue to report any incidences of price gouging by phone at 800-771-7755 or via his office's website, https://www.ag.ny.gov/.
In a press release, Schneiderman explained that his office has sent letters to retailers warning of repercussions should they take excessive advantage of the supply-and-demand shift wrought by the storm. State law prohibits sellers of essential goods and services from raising prices when a natural disaster or other destructive event disrupts the market.
"Our office has zero tolerance for price gouging," Schneiderman said in a statement. "We are actively investigating hundreds of complaints we've received from consumers of businesses preying on victims of Hurricane Sandy, and will do everything we can to stop unscrupulous inpiduals from taking advantage of New Yorkers trying to rebuild their lives."
Schneiderman's investigation comes three days after the New Jersey pision of Consumer Affairs issued subpoenas to 65 businesses across the state Friday, in response to over 500 complaints of price gouging from consumers.
"Having seen firsthand the suffering people are experiencing, I assure New Jersey's residents and retailers that we are taking a zero-tolerance approach to price gouging," said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in a statement. "We are not asking businesses to function as charities. We require that they obey New Jersey's laws – or pay significant penalties."
[11:30 a.m. ET] More bad weather is expected in areas ravaged by Hurricane Sandy last week, no doubt complicating the recovery and cleanup progress in communities still without power and habitable living conditions.
The Weather Channel reports that conditions are expected to get very cold, windy and wet by Wednesday in New England and on the Northeast corridor, with the possibility of snow in upstate New York and inland New England.
High winds could potentially cause additional flooding in coastal areas, many which are still currently underwater.
"Though this storm will not have near the magnitude of the impact Sandy had, the combination of rain, wind and snow will add insult to injury for the recovery process along the East Coast," TWC's Chris Dolce said.
[6:34 a.m. ET] A minor earthquake was felt in northern New Jersey early Monday morning, centered in the borough of Ringwood, 34 miles north of Newark, which is an area still recovering from the effects of Superstorm Sandy. The 2.0-magnitude tremor struck at 1:19 a.m., according to the Lahmont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
No damages were reported, but some people were said to have heard an explosion and people in surrounding communicates living in upper floors could have felt shaking, Geophysicist Jessica Turner at the National Earthquake Information Center, told the Associated Press.
[06:15 a.m. ET] There seems to be no respite for the people living in the New Jersey and New York coastlines as new challenges loomed for the region a week after storm hit the East Coast.
Adding further to the woes of the people whose houses are badly damaged, temperatures sank to 30s Fahrenheit (-1 to 4 degrees Celsius) overnight Sunday. It could further drop to 20s Fahrenheit (-6 to -1 degrees Celsius) and bring “strong gusty winds” as the week progresses, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
[04:50 a.m. ET] Sussex County, the northernmost in New Jersey, can expect to feel the full effect of a nor'easter moving up the Carolina coastline late Wednesday, according to a report in the New Jersey Herald which quoted Accuweather News Service.
The storm system is expected to make its way up the East Coast past the Carolinas Monday and Tuesday and will turn inland late Wednesday with 60 mph winds on the New Jersey coast and driving rains expected for the higher elevations.
There is a consensus among the four major global weather models — the European (EURO), the UKMet, the Canadian and U.S. GFS — indicating that a strong fall nor’easter will begin forming Tuesday night and then move up the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast Wednesday and Thursday, the Washington Post has reported.
[03:45 a.m. ET] All but 65 schools in New York City are set to reopen Monday. The students of the 65 badly damaged schools would be relocated to other city schools Wednesday.
[02:15 a.m. ET] It is expected that more train services will be resumed by Monday morning. But experts say it will take months to restore full services since the damage caused to the lines by Superstorm Sandy is very severe. It has affected an estimated 435,000 commuters in New York City, according to Reuters.
"Getting the system back to normal, where every train is operating as it was before the storm, I could easily see it being months," Conrad Ruppert, associate director of research at the University of Illinois Rail Transportation and Engineering Center, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
[01:10 a.m. ET] Superstorm Sandy-hit New York City is facing a housing crisis as the victims struggled in cold weather Sunday. According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 30,000 to 40,000 people in New York City alone would need shelter, Reuters reported.
He said, "We don't have a lot of empty housing in this city. It's a problem to find housing. We're not going to let anybody go sleeping in the street. But it's a challenge and we're working on this as fast as we can," according to Reuters.
[00:10 a.m. ET] Power outages and gas shortages continued to plague Superstorm Sandy-hit New York and New Jersey Sunday. Long queues were seen at the gas stations and the police were called to monitor them in many places where altercations were reported. Gather.com reported an incident where a man allegedly took out a gun following a quarrel.
[11:49 p.m. ET] With Weather.com currently forecasting the air temperature outside the Empire State Building in New York may fall to 33 degrees Fahrenheit and feel like 26 degrees on Monday at 5 a.m. EST, conditions are becoming increasingly dangerous for the estimated 1,855,958 customers in seven U.S. states that have not had their electrical service restored since it was knocked out by Superstorm Sandy last week.
The latest estimate of current customer outages appears in the U.S. Energy Department's "Hurricane Sandy Situation Report #15," which was published Sunday at 3 p.m. EST. Below is the report's state-by-state breakdown of these power outages:
New Jersey: 999,927
New York: 654,623
Pennsylvania: 77,630
Connecticut: 64,955
West Virginia: 41,618
Ohio: 10,007
Maryland: 7,198
Total: 1,855,958
[10:56 p.m. ET] In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the Board of Elections of the City of New York is temporarily relocating or combining some poll site locations across all five boroughs.
"We urge New York voters to visit our poll site locator on our website or through our smartphone applications to verify their poll site location prior to Election Day this Tuesday," the board said Sunday in its "Poll Site Changes Post Hurricane Sandy" brochure, which is accessible by clicking here.
As many as 143,000 New York voters will have to find places to vote other than their regular polling locations, city Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg estimated Sunday, according to Reuters.
[9:33 p.m. ET] The New York City Marathon was canceled because of the destruction occasioned by Superstorm Sandy, but almost a thousand runners showed up at the starting line in Staten Island Sunday morning anyway.
However, they weren’t there to run -- they were there to help the city’s relief efforts.
Click here for an account of the way New York Runners In Support of Staten Island spent their day.
[8:50 p.m. ET] The American Red Cross and NBCUniversal have reported that "Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together" -- the live, one-hour benefit telethon aired on many of the media giant's networks Friday -- raised almost $23 million in support of victims of Superstorm Sandy.
"We are incredibly grateful and humbled by this outpouring of support for those who are suffering as a result of Superstorm Sandy," said Peggy Dyer, the American Red Cross' chief marketing officer. "Our preliminary results of nearly $23 million raised are an extraordinary example of how the American people pull together in times of disaster. Their generous donations will go directly to those in need, and we urge the public to continue to give. We also thank the dedicated and talented team at NBCUniversal for the millions of people they have helped through this telethon."
The star-studded telethon featured performances by Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Joe Perry, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Sting, and Steven Tyler.
Also appearing at the event hosted by NBC "Today" anchor Matt Lauer were Kevin Bacon, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Stewart, and Brian Williams.
The Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) holds a controlling 51 percent interest in NBCUniversal, and the General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) owns a 49 percent stake in the venture.
[7:23 p.m. ET] PPL Electric Utilities, a unit of the PPL Corp. (NYSE: PPL), based in Allentown, Pa., announced minutes ago that by late Sunday it will have restored power to 99 percent of its customers who lost their service because of Superstorm Sandy.
"We have the largest force ever assembled by PPL Electric Utilities undoing the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, and they have brought power back for well over 400,000 of our customers," said Dave Bonenberger, vice president of distribution operations for PPL Electric Utilities. "With the extensive damage from this storm and the time it's taking to complete many complex jobs, unfortunately a few thousand customers will be without power into Monday."
Outages are expected to continue into Monday in some areas of Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Wayne counties in eastern Pennsylvania.
Importantly, power is expected to be restored at all public schools and voting locations in the PPL Electric Utilities service area by late Sunday. The operating unit provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania.
[6:19 p.m. ET] More than 122,000 people in the tristate area hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy had registered for Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster assistance, and more than $107 million in such assistance had been approved, as of yesterday, FEMA reported.
Below is a breakdown of disaster assistance in these three states:
-- In New York, more than 69,000 people had registered for aid, and more than $75 million in assistance had been OK'd.
-- In New Jersey, more than 49,000 people had registered for aid, and more than $31 million in assistance had been OK'd.
-- In Connecticut, more than 2,400 people had registered for aid, and more than $368,000 in assistance had been OK'd.
FEMA said it anticipated these figures would rise as electrical service is restored in the region and those affected by the disaster become able to register for assistance either online or by phone.
FEMA urged anyone living in an eligible county who has been adversely affected by Sandy to apply for assistance by either clicking on this link or phoning 1-800-621-FEMA(3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585.
[5:20 p.m. ET] As New York and New Jersey continue to reel in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, about 1.7 million people still without electricity in their homes -- and fellow residents of those two states -- are grappling with another thorny question as the energy infrastructure is slowly re-established: Where can they get gasoline? Click here for an answer.
[2:45 p.m. ET] A nor'easter is expected to hit the tristate area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut on Wednesday, according to ABC News. The National Weather Service forecast temperatures as low as the 20s for midweek, with likely strong winds, rain and coastal flooding in some areas.
Many New York City schools will reopen Monday after being closed to students last week. At a press conference, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that 65 schools will remain shut. Many schools will not have heat, and the mayor urged parents to dress their kids in warm clothes.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suspended the so-called Blue Laws in Bergen County that require businesses to be closed on Sundays, the New York Times reported.
“During this time of recovery and rebuilding, our citizens must have adequate access to the supplies they need to help return their lives to normal -- particularly those residents who are still without power,” Christie said in a statement.
The Times compiled a list of ways that people can donate to storm victims and offer assistance that is accessible by clicking here.
[1:15 p.m. ET] Eight fuel-carrying tankers are anchored in New York Harbor with traffic restrictions still in place after Superstorm Sandy pummeled the port and clogged it with debris, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Some of the tankers are transferring fuel to light barges that can easily enter the port and deliver supplies to working terminals, according to Reuters.
Nearly a week after one of the worst storms in U.S. history flooded homes in coastal neighborhoods, leaving many without heat and in need of shelter, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said 30,000 to 40,000 people in New York City alone would need housing.
[Noon ET] The Associated Press reported that at its peak, Superstorm Sandy had a diameter of 1,000 miles; killed more than 100 people in 10 states; canceled almost 20,000 flights; left more than 12 inches of rain in Easton, Md.; covered Gatlinburg, Tenn. with 34 inches of snow; and left in its wake an estimated $20 billion in property losses, placing the storm among the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bloomberg, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, and other city and state officials spoke at a press conference at the governor's New York City office in Manhattan.
In regard to gas being available at gas stations, Cuomo said that there will be more supply and more distribution in the coming days. "It doesn't mean there will be total allieveation of problems in the immediate future," he said, "but it is getting better. We're monitoring the situation on a daily basis. ... now is not time to be using car, if you dont need to. Now is not the time to be hoarding fuel. That's actually increasing the demand."
"I plan to take the subway tomorrow, and most people will be able to take subways and buses," Bloomberg said at the press conference.
Cuomo said that 730,000 New York state residents still have no power, including 145,000 in NYC, 7,000 in Manhattan, 12,000 in the Bronx, 20,000 in Brooklyn, 20,000 in Staten Island, and 86,000 in Queens.
[11 a.m. ET] More than 1,000 people, many who had planned to run the cancelled New York Marathon, crowded onto two Staten Island Ferry boats early on Sunday, headed to the stricken borough with relief supplies including food and plastic bags to help residents store belongings from damaged or destroyed homes, Reuters reported. New York City's overstretched police got a break with the cancellation of Sunday's marathon, a popular annual race expected to draw more than 40,000 runners to the city. New York's Central Park was also crowded with runners near what would have been the marathon's finish line. A group called run4allcauses was collecting donations for Sandy victims.
Power restorations over the weekend relit the skyline in Lower Manhattan for the first time in nearly a week and allowed 80 percent of the New York City subway service to resume. Some 2.5 million homes and business still lacked power across the Northeast on Saturday, down from 3.5 million on Friday.
Temperatures dipped to 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) early on Sunday morning in New York, the lowest in days, with below-freezing temperatures expected on Monday. An early-season "Nor'easter" storm was expected to hit the battered New England coast this week with strong winds and heavy rain.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged those without power and heat to head to shelters where they could keep warm and receive food.
An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday found that 68 percent of those surveyed approved of how Obama handled Sandy and just 15 percent disapproved.
Tight gasoline supplies have tested the patience of drivers - fistfights have broken out in mile-long lines of cars - but a reopened New York Harbor meant fuel was reaching terminals.
Bloomberg said the fuel shortages would be easing soon, and the U.S. Department of Energy confirmed on Saturday that most filling stations in the metropolitan area had fuel.
Some 731,490 customers in New York state were still without power, the governor's office said on Sunday. In Manhattan, electricity had been restored to most neighborhoods.
[9 a.m. ET] Superstorm Sandy's death toll rose to at least 110 with nine more deaths reported in New Jersey on Saturday, raising the total in that state to 22. Bloomberg put New York City deaths at 41. The Los Angeles Times placed the storm's total deaths at 113.
The U.S. Northeast contended with near-freezing temperatures overnight. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned the city that it would be days before power was fully restored and fuel shortages ended.
Officials across the storm-ravaged U.S. Northeast are increasingly worried about getting voters displaced by Sandy to polling stations for Tuesday's election. Scores of voting centers were rendered useless by the record surge of seawater in New York and New Jersey. New Jersey is allowing voters displaced by superstorm Sandy to vote by email, Reuters reported, while some voters in New York could be casting their ballots in tents in an 11th-hour scramble to ensure voting in Tuesday's elections. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered county clerks to open on Saturday and Sunday to accommodate early voters and ensure a "full, fair and transparent open voting process." New Jersey authorities also took the uncommon step of declaring that any voter displaced from their home by superstorm Sandy would be designated an overseas voter, which allows them to submit an absentee vote by fax or email.
Sandy killed 69 people in the Caribbean before turning north and hammering the U.S. Eastern Seaboard on Monday with 80 mph (130-kph) winds and a record surge of seawater that swallowed oceanside communities in New Jersey and New York, and flooded streets and subway tunnels in New York City.
As the biggest U.S. city slowly returns to normal, Bloomberg said the "vast majority" of New York's 1,750 public schools would reopen on Monday.
[6 a.m. ET] Motorists in 12 northern New Jersey counties with license plates ending in an even number will be able to buy gas on even-numbered days, and those with plates ending in an odd number can make gas purchases on odd-numbered days, says a gas rationing order issued by Gov. Chris Christie.
[5:30 a.m. ET] Falling temperatures Sunday has added pressure to expedite recovery measures in areas battling gasoline shortage and continuing power crisis. New York City has opened warming shelters in areas without power supply and older residents lacking heating facility have been requested to move into them. The city administration also handed out 25,000 blankets to residents, who insisted on staying in powerless homes.
[4:30 a.m. ET] A study released just before Hurricane Sandy struck the U.S. East Coast by Geo Risks Research center of Munich Re, the global company that insures other insurers, noted how North America has been most affected by weather-related extreme events in recent decades.
“The North American continent is exposed to every type of hazardous weather peril – tropical cyclone, thunderstorm, winter storm, tornado, wildfire, drought and flood,” the report stated, adding: “One reason for this is that there is no mountain range running east to west that separates hot from cold air.”
The study showed a nearly five-fold increase in the number of weather-related disasters in North America in the last three decades, compared to an increase factor of 4 in Asia, 2.5 in Africa, 2 in Europe and 1.5 in South America.
[3 a.m. ET] New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to cancel Sunday’s New York City marathon may have ruined the spirits of hundreds of runners who were gearing up for the event for several months now. However, some of them intend to take part in informal marathons for the benefit of the Superstorm’s victims, Reuters reported.
A charity run has been planned for Sunday in hard-hit Staten Island that is expected to attract over 500 runners. The participants will start from Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan and take different routes across Staten Island and distribute supplies along the way.
Other informal runs that will be held Sunday loop around Central Park, following the original 1970 route of the New York City marathon, Reuters reported.
[2 a.m. ET] The NFL confirmed that Sunday’s game between the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers will occur as scheduled. The game is set to kickoff at 4:25 p.m. EST at MetLife Stadium, the Associated Press reported. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did not address the game during a briefing Saturday, and questions regarding the schedule were deferred to the NFL.
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