WH Petition Demands Obama Cancel Hawaii Vacation.

WH Petition Demands Obama Cancel Hawaii Vacation.HT: WhiteHouseDossier.By KeithKoffler.A new petition gaining ground on the White House website calls on President Obama to cancel his estimated $4 million vacation and devote the money instead to helping victims of Hurricane Sandy.
The petition, which was created just two days ago, had 872 signatures as of 8:45 am ET this morning and is potentially be on its way to garnering the 25,000 signatures in 30 days required to elicit a response from the White House.
According to the news site delmarvanow.com, the petition was filed by John Phoebus, the organizer of a volunteer hurricane recovery group in Somerset County, Maryland. Phoebus was angered that the storm-ravaged county was denied direct funding from FEMA.
The petition states that for about the cost to the government of sending Obama on an expected three-week Hawaii vacation, Somerset could be rebuilt.
The petition reads:

On December 3, 2012, President Obama denied the request of Governor O’Malley and the entire Maryland congressional delegation to award Individual Assistance to Somerset County, Maryland to recover from Hurricane Sandy.
Somerset County is Maryland’s poorest county. The towns of Crisfield, Fairmount, and Deal Island were devastated by the hurricane, with flood waters causing widespread damage. These poor, working waterfront communities were already fragile from the decline of the seafood industry. Super Storm Sandy left them with no where to turn except FEMA for assistance.
For the $4 million it will cost taxpayers for the President to vacation in Hawaii, we could rebuild Somerset County. The President should stay home and send our tax money to Somerset County to rebuild.

The $4 million price tag for Obama’s vacation was calculated by the Hawaii Reporter and includes $250,000 in local costs.
But the actual expense to the federal government alone is likely even higher than $4 million, since the cost of just the transportation – roundtrip flights for Air Force One and an accompanying cargo plane – amounts to about $3,530,000, according to the Reporter.

‘Trillions of dollars worth of stock certificates and other paper securities that were stored in a vault in lower Manhattan may have suffered water damage’.

‘Trillions of dollars worth of stock certificates and other paper securities that were stored in a vault in lower Manhattan may have suffered water damage’.(CNN).Trillions of dollars worth of stock certificates and other paper securities that were stored in a vault in lower Manhattan may have suffered water damage from Superstorm Sandy. The Depository Trust and Clearing Corp., an industry-run clearing house for Wall Street, said the contents of its vault “are likely damaged,” after its building at 55 Water Street “sustained significant water damage” from the storm that battered New York City’s financial district earlier this week. 
The vault contains certificates registered to Cede and Co., a subsidiary of DTCC, as well as “custody certificates” in sealed envelopes that belong to clients. The DTCC provides “custody and asset servicing” for more than 3.6 million securities worth an estimated $36.5 trillion, according to its website. “At this point, it is premature to make an accurate assessment as to the full impact of the water damage nor would it be helpful to project on what specific actions need to be taken with respect to our vault,” said DTCC Chief Executive Michael Bodson in a statement. “We are aggressively working on this situation to minimize disruption to our clients and will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.” Bodson said the DTCC’s computer records are intact and that the corporation has “detailed inventory files of the contents of the vault.”Hmmmm.......Ink and water mix very well.Read the full story here.

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath - Residents are being forcibly evacuated tonight from seven Ocean County communities, banned up to 8 months.

Hurricane Sandy Aftermath - Residents are being forcibly evacuated tonight from seven Ocean County communities, banned up to 8 months.(TS).By James Queally. TOMS RIVER — Residents are being forcibly evacuated tonight from seven Ocean County communities because of extensive repairs needed after the devastation Hurricane Sandy left behind, Seaside Height Police Chief Thomas Boyd said. Authorities told residents they may not be able to return home for months. "It's looking bad. It's a catastrophe," Boyd said. The towns affected are Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, island sections of Berkeley Township, South Seaside Park, Lavallette, Ortley Beach and Mantoloking.
The decision followed an afternoon meeting among the chiefs of police in the affected communities and other county authorities. Busloads of people were being escorted out, with several residents interviewed saying police and fire officials knocked on their doors, telling them they had five minutes to pack a bag before they had to leave. Boyd said he thinks no more than 50 people remain in Seaside Heights.
He said repairs need to be done to the infrastructure of the affected areas, along with the main gas line, from Mantoloking to Island Beach State Park, which needs to be reconstructed, and should take between six and eight months.
Other repairs that need to be done include a collapsed sewer in Seaside Heights. “We were just trying to figure out where we were going to go with this, and the best thing is to get people out of the way,” the chief said. “We’re doing mandatory evacuations to get people out. We want people to know that it’s not just for safety. It’s for other reasons so that we can get in there and work and do what we have to do.” Residents will be able to return at some point, with police escorts, to gather their belongings. Boyd said he fully understood the frustration residents will feel, but the evacuation are necessary to ensure their safety. There are 14,210 residential properties on the barrier island stretching south from the northern border of Mantoloking with a combined assessed value of $9.8 billion. There are 377 commercial properties, with an assessed value of $505 million. This does not include the 5,240 parcels that do not appear to have records associated with them. The barrier island stretches for 20.4 miles, half of which has homes.Read the full story here.

Video - Saudi Cleric Muhammad Al-Munajid: Hurricane Sandy Is Allah's Punishment for Afghanistan and Iraq.

Pakistan - " Sandy the Hurricane is the the ocean protesting the dumping of Bin Laden's body in the sea."

HT: TarekFatah.

Sandy: Live Updates and Analysis Tuesday.

Hurricane Sandy: Live Updates and Analysis.

Hurricane Tracker Here.

Tracking map here.

The Weather Channel and weather.com continue to follow the progress of Sandy closely as it heads for the Northeast. Here you will find updates, analysis and the latest advisories for Sandy.

The Hurricane Centre said northerly winds were increasing over southern Ontario Monday night, with some areas reporting gusts above 80 kilometres per hour which were expected to get stronger. Meanwhile, south western Nova Scotia was also being whipped by gusty winds.

Officials warned residents in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes to prepare, though the East Coast of the United States was expected to bear the brunt of the unusually large storm.

Sandy, which forecasters downgraded from a hurricane to an intense post-tropical storm, made landfall in New Jersey early Monday evening. It was expected to continue to churn north and northwest, lashing parts of Canada Monday night.

Forecasters warned that the change in the storm's status was purely technical, based on its shape and internal temperature. It still packed hurricane-force wind, and remained dangerous to those in its path.

Southern Ontario and Quebec were expected to see the strongest winds, with gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour and between 20 to 40 millimetres of rain, although higher amounts were possible in some areas.

That will make for a soggy Tuesday, but that level wasn't enough to trigger a rainfall warning.

Starting Tuesday morning, the Maritime provinces will see a lot more rain — up to 50 millimetres — and weaker winds than Ontario, though still strong at an expected 70 kilometres per hour.

The precipitation could turn into snow over parts of Ontario and western Quebec, said Environment Canada.

The storm is also expected to whip up the water, generating waves of up to seven metres in Lake Huron. The Quebec Storm Prediction Centre issued storm surge warnings for pounding waves in the Gaspe and north shore of the St. Lawrence River. The south shore of Nova Scotia could also see several-metre high waves.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said in a statement that the military and the Canadian Coast Guard are on standby. Health Canada is conducting generator checks and has reviewed the National Emergency Stockpile, he said.

The stockpile, maintained by the Public Health Agency of Canada, contains supplies such as beds, blankets and antibiotics.

John Byrne, the director general of disaster management for the Red Cross, said the organization had 550 volunteers on standby in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.

Utility companies in Ontario were preparing for the onslaught of the storm by having crews ready to respond to any calls about damage. By Monday night, more than 15,000 customers were without power in the province.

Emergency Management Ontario warned the storm may result in flooding, road closures and power failure. It said people should put away any objects that can be blown away by wind, such as garbage lids and Halloween decorations, to prevent damage or injury.

Nova Scotia's Emergency Management Office said residents who live along the coast should watch out for pounding surf and high winds, particularly in the southwestern corner of the province.

150 hallucinatory images of superstorm Sandy.

Bounty crew member's body found, captain still missing

150 hallucinatory images of superstorm Sandy.HT: HLN.(Google Translate).

Video - LIVE Superstorm Sandy Coverage - The Weather Channel.

New York Black out.

...RECORD HIGH WATER LEVEL AT THE BATTERY NY... A RECORD HIGH WATER LEVEL OF 13.88 FEET WAS SET AT THE BATTERY NY TODAY AT 9:24 PM. THIS BREAKS THE OLDEST OFFICIAL RECORD OF 10.02 FEET SET IN 1960 WITH HURRICANE DONNA.

Picture - Floodwaters inundate Ground Zero construction site in NYC.

HT: Jon Passantino@passantino.

Sandy power outages hit 4.1 million as of 10pm.

Sandy: Live Updates and Analysis .

Hurricane Sandy: Live Updates and Analysis.

Hurricane Tracker Here.

Tracking map here.

The Weather Channel and weather.com continue to follow the progress of Sandy closely as it heads for the Northeast. Here you will find updates, analysis and the latest advisories for Sandy.



Sandy Cam - Hurricane Sandy Live 24/7: Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City. HT: BarracudaBrigade.

Hurricane Sandy Update - Ontario may see the worst Sandy when it hits early next week as the so-called Frankenstorm continues to grow.

HALIFAX -- Ontario may see the worst Sandy when it hits early next week as the so-called Frankenstorm continues to grow, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said Saturday.
Spokesman Bob Robichaud said while rainfall amounts are still hard to predict, southern and eastern Ontario could see between 50 and 100 millimetres late Monday and early Tuesday. "That's certainly in the realm of possibility for that part of Ontario," said Robichaud in an interview on Saturday.
"It looks like southeastern and eastern Ontario might be getting the most rainfall out of this." Robichaud said those areas will also see high winds, although they will likely not hit hurricane strength. He said 80 km/h winds are a possibility. Sandy is currently moving northward over the Bahamas and is expected to continue to track north while maintaining its hurricane strength. The latest computer models predict its effects will be far-reaching on Canadian territory, with rainy and blustery conditions also expected for Quebec and the Maritime provinces. Western Nova Scotia will likely see the strongest winds of eastern Canada, said Robichaud. "I don't think we'll necessarily get up close to the point where we'll have to issue warnings, but we could see some pretty blustery conditions," he said.

Robichaud said Sandy is headed for a densely populated zone, likely just south of the New York and New Jersey border.But Robichaud said Canada shouldn't be bracing for the same sort of danger."We're not going to be feel the same impacts that they're feeling down in the U.S., that's for sure." Read the full story here, more here.

Tropical Storm Sandy - Update Saturday 27 October 2012.

5 Day track .

Impact north of the border. (Cbc).Forecasters are predicting that a so-called "Frankenstorm" will hit the Eastern Seaboard of the United States in coming days, but Environment Canada's chief climatologist says there are risks to labeling such powerful weather systems with scary-sounding names.
"There's so much competition for people's time," David Phillips said in a phone interview. "Naming like this is really trying to shake up the general public… that this is something to be concerned about and aware of." Humanizing a powerful weather system — in this case by tying it to Halloween — can encourage people to prepare for it, he said. But there are dangers in the event that a weather system fails to pack as much of a punch as expected. "If in fact these don't live up to their billing, then clearly there is a bit of egg on one's face and people mock those that tried to scare us skinny," he said.
It's unclear how much Canadians will be affected. But Hurricane Sandy, one of the ingredients in the so-called "Frankenstorm," could track northeast into Ontario next week after sweeping across the Caribbean and northeastern U.S. Sandy has already claimed at least 38 lives, and while it will have lost some of its force if it reaches Canadian airspace, CBC's senior meteorologist said it would still pose a hazard.
"The biggest issue is how much cold air is going to reenergize this storm," Claire Martin said. Cold air tends to lift tropical air, making it "even more dangerous," she said.
If the weather systems meet Tuesday morning around New York or New Jersey, as forecasters predict, they could create a big, wet mess that settles over the most heavily populated corridor in the U.S. and reaches as far west as Ohio. Some have compared the coming tempest to the so-called Perfect Storm that struck off the coast of New England in 1991, but that one hit a less populated area.
Phillips said each storm is unique, and should be treated accordingly. "Every one has its own personality and characteristics, and sometimes these superlatives are all used up," he said. "Really it comes down to trying to identify it and raise awareness," he added. "You don't want to be left out and not let people prepare. You tend to err on the side of caution."

Video - GTA could get wild weather early next week, Environment Canada says.

'Frankenstorm' heading to Canada's East Coast next week, worst of its weather mayhem will focus around New York City and New Jersey.

Updated track Friday 26 Th of October.

'Frankenstorm' heading to Canada's East Coast next week, worst of its weather mayhem will focus around New York City and New Jersey. (Global).An unusual, nasty mix of a hurricane and a winter storm that forecasters are now calling "Frankenstorm" is likely to blast most of the U.S. and Canadian East Coast next week.
The worst of its weather mayhem will focus around New York City and New Jersey - although Canadian cities such as Halifax and Montreal are likely to feel the brunt as well.
André Cantin, a meteorologist for Environment Canada told Global News that the exact place where the storm will hit is still uncertain. "Models differ in Europe, the U.S. and Canada but as the storm gets closer, the forecast will become focused and over the weekend, it will become more precise." It is likely to hit during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential, forecasts from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warn. “The computer models have been converging on a very scary outcome for the U.S northeast coastal areas," notes Global News meteorologist Anthony Farnell.
The storm is a combination of Hurricane Sandy, now in the Caribbean, an early winter storm in the West, and a blast of arctic air from the North. They are predicted to collide and park over the country's most populous coastal corridor and reach as far inland as Ohio in the U.S. and Ontario in Canada. "The storm still has several days over the warm Gulf Stream before a possible landfall early next week," predicts Farnell.
"There is still quite a bit of uncertainty in the track of the storm but one thing is becoming increasingly certain, this will be a monster storm affecting millions of Americans and Canadians for several days.”
There has been some comparison to the so-called 'Perfect Storm' that hit New England in 1991, but according to Cisco that storm is not comparable to what this hybrid storm could do. 
Masters agreed, saying: "The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage and I'm thinking a billion. Yeah, it will be worse."
With all these projections for what could happen along the U.S. Atlantic coast and New England, residents of Canada's East Coast should be keeping an eye on this as well. If the forecasts for this hybrid storm turn out to be correct, and it turns into a major snowstorm that buries New England, it's not likely to spare the Atlantic provinces a similar dose of winter weather as it passes through. Read the full story here, more here.