MONDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- As Hurricane Sandy sent strong storm surges into the coasts of New Jersey, New York and Delaware Monday morning, federal officials warned that more than 50 million people could face historic flooding and damaging winds that make widespread power outages a certainty.
As of 5 a.m. Monday morning, Sandy was churning in the ocean just 385 miles southeast of New York City, and beginning to make a left turn toward land. Experts say an 11-foot wall of water could engulf parts of lower Manhattan and nearby coastal areas, Fox News reported. The massive storm intensified overnight, with winds now exceeding 95 miles per hour at times. Those ferocious winds are expected to be felt a whopping 175 miles from Sandy's center as she plows through New Jersey and upstate New York.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Service predict the storm will make landfall along the New Jersey coast on Monday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern, ABC News reported. Experts said Sandy's impact might even be felt as far away as the Great Lakes, as she joins forces with a winter storm and a cold front.
"We're looking at impact of greater than 50 to 60 million people," Louis Uccellini, head of environmental prediction for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Fox News.
Major cities in Sandy's path shut down public transit systems and closed schools, and federal government offices were also shuttered on Monday. More than 7,200 flights in the Northeast corridor have been cancelled, and airports in those cities are expected to close Monday afternoon, according to Fox News.
Amtrak stopped all train service between Washington, D.C., and New York City on Monday, and states of emergency were declared Sunday in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Maine, the '/>"/>
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