Superstorm Sandy Smashes Northeastern U.S.

Millions of people awoke on Tuesday to scenes of destruction wrought by Superstorm Sandy after it battered the Northeast, cutting power to 7 million people in the nation's most densely populated region, flooding New York's subway system and submerging streets in Manhattan's financial district, according to Reuters. Twenty-one people are known to have died in the U.S. and one in Canada, adding to the storm’s earlier toll of 67, according to CNN.com. Thirteen feet of seawater flooded areas of Lower Manhattan, including parts of its electrical system. The Jersey Shore, too, was hit hard, with part of the Atlantic City boardwalk to the northeast disappearing. Several hundred feet washed away, as well as huge sand dunes that were put in place in hopes of holding back the storm surge, according to NJ.com. Sandy may be the worst storm New York has ever experienced, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday. Bloomberg said it is believed more than 80 houses were destroyed by a fire in Queens. He said the water in New York City has been reported safe to drink, although it may taste more of chlorine than usual. Sandy continued to unleash its wrath on Tuesday morning when a berm in Bergen County, N.J., was breached, causing 4 to 5 ft of water to gush into three towns, endangering about 2,000 people, according to the ABCnews.com report. According to the Howard County Emergency Management Department as reported by TIME.com, a leak at a Maryland water treatment plant is causing roughly 2 million gal of raw sewage to rush out every hour. The leak was reportedly caused by power loss. SWS will be sure to keep you updated on this story’s major developments.