According to the latest from the Associated Press , Hurricane Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane already blamed for 69 deaths in the Caribbean, was 110 miles southeast of Atlantic City with sustained winds at 90 mph and is expected to blow ashore in New Jersey early this evening, sooner than previously expected.
The Washington Post reported that federal offices in the nation's capital will be closed on Tuesday for the second consecutive day because of Hurricane Sandy. Non-emergency employees will be granted administrative leave; emergency employees will be required to report to work as usual.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently issued a news release on what to expect in terms of coastal change during the storm, primarily in the form of beach erosion.
According to Vic Hines, chief of communications (Eastern Studies) from USGS, the likelihoods of erosion and overwash increased for all areas. Approximately 95 percent of the coast between the Eastern Shore of Virginia and the south shore of Long Island, NY, is very likely to experience dune erosion. Overwash is very likely along 50 percent of the Delmarva and NJ sandy beaches and 12 percent of the Long Island barriers.
As Sandy begins its violent path inland, a worthwhile online tool featured by USGS is a a Hurricane Sandy Storm Tide Mapper which allows users to look at what real-time storm sensors and streamgages are reading in order to track water levels before and after the storm.
USGS additionally features a splendid resource page, highlighting key USGS links for those wanting to track what's happening with water levels; the page also includes the latest information on storm-related activities, and the most recently issued news releases.
In order to keep up on the latest news developments on Hurricane Sandy, readers should keep in mind, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have torn down their pay walls for at least the next couple of days (Monday and Tuesday) so that readers can stayed informed on the latest developments.
The New York Times, by the way, features a tremendous interactivestorm tracker for keeping informed on the latest weather information from Albany to Washington D.C..; while the Wall Street Journal is doing an equally superb job streaming the latest photos, tweets, and other updated hurricane information. from their reporters and photographer out in the trenches. And The Washington Post, not to be outdone, is featuring The Grid a special presentation of Tweets and photos about the storm.
Other Resources related to Hurricane Sandy to keep in mind.
• The Red Cross: Is featuring a Hurricane App in which from your mobile phone, you can call "**REDCROSS" (**73327677) and they'll send you a link to download the app to your phone. Red Cross additionally has a ``Safe and Well'' feature in which residents can register in order to let loved ones know their safe.
• For the latest hurricane advisories, check in on the National Hurricane Center home page.
• The Google Crisis Response Team has launched a Hurricane Sandy map to help online users follow the trajectory of the storm.
• NASA provides the latest storm image and data, which includes Hurricane Sandy images, videos, public advisory alerts, and Sandy images on Flickr.
• As usual, the Weather Channel has the most up-to-date developments at their Hurricane Central with frequent updates at Twitter @TWC_hurricane. The Weather Channel has also rolled out an interactive map and radar at Weather Underground . In addition, online users can receive severe weather alerts in their area on their mobile devices.
• NJ.Com lists key contacts: phone numbers, websites, and social media for Morris County, NJ, which is located about 25 miles west of New York City.
• Hurricane Sandy By the Numbers from U.S. News on NBCNews.com
• How to Prepare for a Hurricane: Ready.gov
This post first appeared on The Morning Delivery.