1:55 PM EDT We'll be taking your Hurricane Sandy questions via Twitter and answering them here. If you've got a question, tweet us using the hashtag #SandyQ, and we'll get it answered.
Our first question comes from Dianne Schloesser (@lady2Di4).
Q: "Is it true that low barometric pressure can crack or break my windshield, unless I lower my windows a crack?"
A: Nope. The change in barometric pressure resulting from a hurricane likely would not crack your car's windshield, says theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. For starters it takes a lot to crack your car's safety glass, but moreover pressure maintains equilibrium pretty quickly. That means the pressure inside and outside your car are the same, reducing the chances of a vacuum being created and the glass cracking. Leaving your window opened will just cause wet seats.
1:17 PM EDT: Authorities in the resort town of Atlantic City, N.J., have implemented a curfew stretching from 6 p.m. this evening to 6 a.m. Tuesday. Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall near the city late tonight.
1:14 PM EDT: Only one of the 14 rescued crew members from the tall ship HMS Bounty has been hospitalized. Although exposed to frigid waters, the crew were wearing immersion survival suits that kept them from developing hypothermia.
12:55 PM EDT: Construction crews have worked "around the clock" to secure the World Trade Center site, positioning sandbags in a part of lower Manhattan subject to flooding.
12:48 PM EDT: In a briefing from the White House, President Obama says: "The most important message I have for the public right now is to please listen to what state and local officials are saying. If they say evacuate, you need to evacuate. Don't delay, don't question what they're telling you."
12:45 PM EDT To watch President Obama's hurricane briefing, click here
12:11 PM EDT: There are 35,000 people statewide without power in New Jersey, according to Gov. Chris Christie
The Atlantic Ocean breaks over the dunes in Cape May, N.J. (Image Credit: Mel Evans/AP)
11:50 AM EDT: NYC Mayor Bloomberg says city schools will be closed again Tuesday.
11:46 AM EDT: NYC shelters have already accepted 3,000 residents affected by the hurricane, as well 73 pets, according to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
11:40 AM EDT: Hurricane Sandy has turned 30 degrees more to the west, and is heading straight toward the East Coast. The storm is now 201 miles southeast of Atlantic City, where it is expected to make landfall between 10 p.m. and midnight.
11:26 AM EDT: President Obama will address the nation from the White House at 12:45 p.m. ET.
11:19 AM EDT: Hurricane Sandy strengthens to a strong Category 1 hurricane, with winds in excess of 90 mph and is expected to develop shortly into a Category 2. Winds are gusting to 66 mph in Boston and near 60 mph on Long Island.
11:09 AM EDT: Early voting suspended in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, where some residents stood in line for hours this weekend waiting to vote before the storm.
(For full coverage of Hurricane Sandy, click here.)
10:30 AM EDT: At 2 p.m., New York City's Holland Tunnel and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel will each close, announced Gov. Cuomo. NYC bridges, for now, will remain opened.
10:30 AM EDT: N.Y. Gov. Cuomo: "We've done everything that we need to do. The storm is as we predicted. There's going to be a lot of rain. There's going to be a lot of wind. The question is the extent of the storm surge. It's already high, already at Irene levels."
10:27 AM EDT: Watch live N.Y. Gov Andrew Cuomo's news conference.
10:21 AM EDT: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sending inspectors to eight nuclear plants in the path of the storm located in Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Inspectors will ensure "plant operators are making the proper preparations."
10:17 AM EDT: Connecticut Gov. Daniel Malloy has ordered road closures for today. Beginning at 11:00 am, trucks will be banned from operating on "limited access highways," including interstates and parkways. At 1 pm, those roads will be closed to car traffic, excluding emergency vehicles.
9:22 AM EDT: Reports of snow in Boone, N.C. For a live cam from Appalachian State University, click here.
9:10 AM EDT: The US Coast Guard reports that two people are lost at sea following a distress call by the tall ship HMS Bounty. The other fourteen crew members have been rescued and are aboard two Coast Guard helicopters.
For More on the rescue on the Bounty click here.
8:25 AM EDT: NOAA National Data Buoy Center is reporting that wave heights have reached 24 feet southeast of Cape May, N.J.
(For Full Coverage of Huricane Sandy click here.)
7:57 AM EDT: Hurricane Sandy has increased speed to 20 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds remain at 85 mph.
7:45 AM EDT: FlightAware.com has listed 6,500 cancellations in the United States today and 1,050 Tuesday.
7:07 AM EDT: According to a Coast Guard official, rescue crews started hoisting people out of the water at 6:40 a.m. EDT this morning. The crew of the abandoned vessel had issued a distress call.
7:00 AM EDT: President Obama will no longer attend a campaign event in Orlando, Fla. The president is heading back to Washington, D.C., to monitor the response and preparations for Hurricane Sandy, press secretary Jay Carney said.
6:14 AM EDT: Jersey Central Power and Light is reporting 4,671 customers without power in northern New Jersey, according to ABC News station WABC-TV.
5:00 AM EDT: Hurricane Sandy is centered about 385 miles southeast of New York City, and moving north at 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The maximum sustained winds have increased to 85 mph.
2:55 AM EDT: Coast Guard spokesman David Weydert tells ABC News, "The Coast Guard received notification that the sailing vessel HMS Bounty was in distress. We responded by sending out a C-130 aircraft and we're currently monitoring the situation."
2:33 AM EDT: The Coast Guard tells ABC News that it's working on a rescue of a vessel with 17 people on board 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C. The vessel is about 160 miles west of the eye of Hurricane Sandy.
2:20 AM EDT: President Obama has approved an emergency declaration for Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.
2:00 AM EDT: Hurricane Sandy is centered about 425 miles southeast of New York City, and moving north at 14 mph, with hurricane-force winds extending 175 miles from its center, according to the National Hurricane Center.
12:45 AM EDT: President Obama has approved an emergency declaration for New Jersey and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.
12:00 AM EDT: As of midnight, most public transportation to, from and within New York City has been suspended. All N.J. PATH trains, New Jersey Transit and Greyhound bus service north of New York is now cancelled.
11:02 PM EDT: New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ to be closed on Monday, including online trading, reversing earlier decision to remain opened.
10:56 PM EDT: Sandy is currently 290 miles from Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 470 miles fromNew York City. Winds at 75 MPH, according to the National Hurricane Center.
10:55 PM EDT:From the National Hurricane Center: "SANDY ABOUT TO START ITS NORTHWARD TURN…EXPECTED TO BRING LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE…COASTAL HURRICANE WINDS AND HEAVY APPALACHIAN SNOWS."
9:30 PM EDT: Storm surge inundates the boardwalk at Point Pleasant, N.J.
Hurricane Sandy storm surge at Point Pleasant, N.J. (credit: Steven Portnoy)
9:28 PM EDT: ABC News interactive comparing 2011?s Hurricane Irene, with this year's Hurricane Sandy.
6:06 PM EDT: WABC in New York is reporting that the New York Stock Exchange's trading floor will be closed tomorrow.
6:00 PM EDT: Federal offices in the Washington, DC area will be closed tomorrow because of the hurricane.
In Cape Charles, Virginia an officer tapes off the town fishing pier and beach to restrict access.
Eastern Shore News, Jay Diem
5:40 PM EDT: Looks like FreshDirect, the food delivery service in New York, is canceling its deliveries for tonight. Looks like those people in line at Trader Joe's have the right idea!
5:29 PM EDT: We also have storm tips for pet owners! Does ABC have you covered or what?
Image credit: Kathy Kmonicek/AP Photo
5:26 PM EDT: A quick travel update. According to FlightAware, there have been 1,180 flights cancelled today, 4,333 flights cancelled for tomorrow, and 613 cancelled for Tuesday. For some tips on travel during the storm check out our ABCs of Hurricane Sandy Travel.
Image credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images
5:19 PM EDT: The Weather Channel is now reporting blizzard warnings in West Virgina.
5:10 PM EDT: The Associated Press reports now that the storm-related death toll is up to 65 in the Caribbean, 51 of which are in Haiti. The storm ended on Friday there.
5:05 PM EDT: FEMA has just issued a press release urging residents to follow directions from their local officials.
"As conditions worsen along the Mid-Atlantic and other parts of the East Coast, residents need to listen to the direction of local officials. This is a large storm and the potential impacts from wind, coastal flooding, inland flooding, rain and snow will affect many states," Craig Fugate, FEMA administrator said in a statement.
4:59 PM EDT: A Home Depot store in New York ahead of the storm.
Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
4:49 PM EDT: Simultaneously, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is holding a press conference right now. Watch live here. "We are going to get through this we are as well prepared as we possibly can be," Patrick said.
4:40 PM EDT: "Be prepared to stay in your home for an extended period of time," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said. "We prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
4:37 PM EDT: The Pennsylvania Emergency Management press conference is happening now. Watch live here.
4:30 PM EDT: ABC News' Dan Kloeffler tweeted the following with the picture below: "Take that Apple! Trader Joes Lines 'em up too." Translation: In New York City the line for Trader Joe's wraps around the corner as people stock up on food and water.
Image credit: Dan Kloeffler / ABC News
4:25 PM EDT: A few helpful storm articles from ABC about travel, tech, and insurance:
- Apps and Tech Tips to Track the Storm
- ABCs of Hurricane Sandy Travel
- What You Need to Know about Flood Insurance
4:08 PM EDT: New York City Mayor Bloomberg is updating residents in a live press conference right now. Watch here. ""If you live in Zone A and have not yet evacuated, do so as soon as possible. Time is running out," Bloomberg said.
4:07 PM EDT: ABC News' Emily Friedman tweets that both the Romney and Obama campaigns have halted fundraising e-mails in states impacted by the storm.
4:00 PM EDT: Just a update on the storm. The satellite image below is from 2:00 p.m. EST. You can track the storm at our Hurricane Sandy Live Storm Tracker.
Image credit: NASA
3:58PM EDT: In Rockaway Beach, New York people bag sand for sandbags as Hurricane Sandy approaches.
Image credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images
3:49 PM EDT: The Department of Energy has just issued its first report on power outages. As of 2:00 p.m. EST, there are fewer than 5,000 customers without power in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Image credit: Gerry Broome/AP Photo
3:42 PM EDT: ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports that the Obama campaign is encouraging supporters by e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and on its homepage to donate to the Red Cross hurricane relief effort.
Additionally, Obama campaign officials at the Chicago headquarters and in key battleground states Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania tell ABC News they are preparing contingencies to ensure the safety of supporters, volunteers and staff as a top priority.
Some local canvassing events may be postponed or cancelled across affected areas, the campaign said. Several planned rallies involving the President, Vice President and First Lady this weekend and early next week have already been cancelled. More schedule changes could follow depending on how the storm plays out.
"We're taking things on a case by case basis at this phase," an Obama campaign official told ABC News.
3:34 PM EDT: Maryland has just canceled early voting on Monday, according the Associated Press. Maryland residents began early voting on Saturday. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley expects early voting to be rescheduled for Friday.
3:29PM EDT: In the photo below, taken today, ocean water rolls over NC 12 between Frisco and Hatteras Village, the area where Hurricane Isabel cut through Hatteras Island in 2003.
Image credit: Steve Earley/AP Photos
3:20 PM EDT: More cancellations in New York City. Broadway performances have been called off tonight as well as Louis C.K.'s performance in New York City.
3:10 PM EDT: Amtrak has cancelled nearly all service on the eastern seaboard for tomorrow. "All Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone and Shuttle services are canceled for trains originating on that date. Also Empire Service, Adirondack, Vermonter, Ethan Allen and Pennsylvanian train services suspended, along with overnight services to and from the East Coast," Amtrak said on its Facebook page.
3:00PM EDT: An update on Philadelphia. There will be a formal press conference held at 5 PM EST today, but by midnight if not sooner all mass transit will be shut down, including New Jersey transit, Patco Highspeed lines and SEPTA. Philadelphia bridges will also be shut down at 65mph.
2:57 PM EDT: The image below is becoming a familiar one as people stock up on food and water. In this particular case, John Marino of Merrick, N.Y. grabs the few remaining water bottles from the shelves at the Waldbaums grocery store.
Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
2:44 PM EDT: Following a briefing at FEMA, Obama has just issued a statement about the storm: "This is a serious and big storm and my first message to all the people across the Eastern seaboard, mid-atlantic, going north, is that you need to take this very seriously and follow the instructions of your state and local officials. Because they are going to be providing you with the best advice in terms of to how to deal with this storm in the coming days."
Obama added, "My message to the governors, as well as to the mayors – anything they need, we will be there. And we're gonna cut through red tape, we're not gonna get bogged down with a lot of rules, we want to make sure that we're anticipating and leaning forward into making sure that we've got the best possible response for what is going to be a big and messy system."
2:42 PM EDT: Below is a photo taken yesterday of waves pounding the Carolina Beach pier in Carolina Beach, N.C.
Image credit: Ken Blevins/AP Photo
2:32 PM EDT: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie just wrapped his press conference. He urged people to be prepared, but also told people not to panic. In fact, he told people to watch the Jets game.
In the photo below, a police officer sets up a road block on South Oregon Inlet Road as water from Hurricane Sandy covers the road in Nags Head, N.C.
Image credit: Gerry Broome/AP Photo
1:57 PM EDT: ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports: As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the east coast, Obama campaign officials at the Chicago headquarters and in key battleground states Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania tell ABC News they are preparing contingencies to ensure the safety of supporters, volunteers and staff as a top priority.
Some local canvassing events may be postponed or cancelled across affected areas, the campaign said. Several planned rallies involving the President, Vice President and First Lady this weekend and early next week have already been cancelled. More schedule changes could follow depending on how the storm plays out.
"We're taking things on a case by case basis at this phase," an Obama campaign official told ABC News.
OFA pulled the plug on Vice President Joe Biden's rally in Virginia Beach on Saturday; First Lady Michelle Obama's events in New Hampshire on Monday; and President Obama's rallies in Virginia on Monday and Colorado on Tuesday.
The campaign announced today it was proceeding with President Obama's planned rallies in Cincinnati and Akron, Ohio, on Wednesday.
Aides are exceedingly confident the storm will not impact early voting or their get-out-the-vote efforts.
"Our historic grassroots organization is running at full speed in Florida and Eastern battleground states to persuade undecided voters and get our supporters out to the polls between now and Election Day," said Obama spokesman Adam Fetcher.
1:49 PM EDT:ABC News' Matt Hosford reports that Jet Blue, US Airways and Delta have announced they are shutting down operations at airports in Sandy's path. Other carriers are also expected to announce similar suspensions of service.
People scheduled to fly to or from the eastern third of the country are encouraged to check their flight status.
Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
1:41 PM EDT: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is suspending all PATH service beginning at midnight so trains and stations can be secured before the worst of Hurricane Sandy makes landfall. PATH service will resume as soon as conditions permit.
1:30 PM EDT: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ordered a gradual system-wide shutdown of New Jersey Transit service, beginning at 4 p.m. today through 2 a.m. on Monday. The suspension includes all bus, rail, light rail and Access Link service.
"This prudent and necessary action will enable NJ TRANSIT to further support our state's response to Hurricane Sandy; freeing up resources that may be needed to further facilitate hurricane relief," said James Simpson, who serves as New Jersey Transit board chairman and New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner.
1:24 PM EDT: ABC News' Matt Hosford reports that Delta has cancelled all flights in and out of New York City airports and Philadelphia tomorrow. Nationwide, overall cancellations are at 3,700 for Monday, according to Flight Aware.
1:10 PM EDT: As Hurricane Sandy heads up the Eastern Seaboard, officials urged residents in Sandy's 800-mile path to act now to ensure their safety. "The time for preparing and talking is about over," Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate said. "[We are] pre-deploying people and resources into the area and are gearing up for the potential impacts of the storm."
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