STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Staten Islanders awoke to widespread power outages, downed lines, tree damage and the aftermath of storm-surge flooding, all brought to us by Hurricane Sandy, a powerful, deadly storm that came howling ashore near Atlantic City, N.J. at about 8 p.m. Monday. At least one person on Staten Island was confirmed dead in the wake of the storm.
Here's a compendium of what's happening. Most of this information is provided by the New York City Office of Emergency Management ...
ELECTRIC POWER About half of Staten Island is without power. By one estimate, about 200,000 people are affected. Wide areas of New York City are without electric power. Consolidated Edison says outages could last for days. Many stores and gas stations are without power.
SCHOOLS All New York City public schools are closed on Tuesday. All City University of New York (CUNY) colleges are closed.
BRIDGES and TUNNELS All Staten Island bridges are closed. The Tappan Zee Bridge is closed. FDR Drive from Battery to 155th Street is closed. The George Washington, Verrazano-Narrows, Throgs Neck, Whitestone, and Henry Hudson Bridges are closed. The East River Bridges - the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Ed Koch-Queensboro bridge - have closed. The Holland and Hugh Carey/Brooklyn-Battery tunnels are closed.
MASS TRANSIT Staten Island Ferry service is suspended. Staten Island Railroad service is suspended. All New York City subways and bus services remain suspended. The suspension includes PATH trains and NJ Transit. Amtrak service is halted along the entire Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C.
AIRPORTS All of the major metropolitan New York City airports are closed. Flights, tens of thousands of them, in and out of JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia international airports have been suspended/
PARKS All New York City parks and playgrounds are closed. All beaches are closed, and surfing is prohibited.
SUPER STORM SANDY. The tidal surge was powerful enough to push a 700-ton water tanker onto Front Street in Clifton SI. The 168 -foot John B. Caddell has been moored about a mile away out in the ocean when the storm's force propelled it toward land, where it still sits.