Powerful winter storm brings snow, havoc to Mideast

AP:

The fiercest winter storm to hit the Mideast in years brought a rare foot of snow to Jordan on Wednesday, caused fatal accidents in Lebanon and the West Bank, and disrupted traffic on the Suez Canal in Egypt. At least eight people died across the region.

Photo: A visitor climbs the steps of Baalbek’s Bachus temple as snow covers the Roman ruins of the historic town in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Jan. 9, following a fierce storm that has whipped the region this week with temperatures dropping and snow falling across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel. (AFP - Getty Images)

Cyclone Evan batters Fiji

NBC News:

More than 3,500 people evacuated to emergency shelters in Fiji as the biggest cyclone in 20 years swept across the Pacific island nation on Monday, three days after the storm killed 4 people and destroyed thousands of homes in nearby Samoa.

Photo: Local resident Pita Turgagaviti clears away branches from a tree that collapsed on top of a car shelter outside a house near Suva, Fiji, on December 17, 2012, as Cyclone Evan threatened the Pacific nation with ‘catastrophic damage.’ (Joshua Kuku / AFP - Getty Images)

More than 800 homes flooded after storms hit the UK

The Telegraph: 816 houses have been damaged by high floodwater in the UK, according to the Environment Agency. Devon and Cornwall are among the worst-affected areas, along with the historic town of Malmesbury.

There are some 260 flood alerts in England and Wales. More than 200 other flood warnings are in place across England. Two people have died so far in the storms.

Photo: Diana Mallows, 90, had to be rescued from her village home near Taunton. (Reuters)

Marathoners go on the move in New York City

AP: Even though the New York City Marathon was canceled, hundreds of runners in marathon shirts, carrying backpacks full of supplies, took the ferry to Staten Island and ran to stricken neighborhoods to help.

Others gathered in Central Park to put in 26.2 miles even though the event was canceled due to Superstorm Sandy.

Many runners found a way to volunteer for storm victims.

Photo: Large groups of joggers run through Central Park on Nov. 4 in New York City.The 2012 NYC Marathon scheduled for that Sunday was canceled by the city because of damage from Hurricane Sandy.  (Michael Heiman / Getty Images, via USA Today Sports)

Halloween postponed to Nov. 5 in New Jersey

NorthJersey.com: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has signed an executive order rescheduling Halloween to Nov. 5 due to unsafe conditions caused by Sandy.

“I’ve taken this action to minimize additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy,” Christie said in a statement.

Photo credit: Juliet James/SXC

Hurricane Sandy projected to make landfall along southern New Jersey coast by early evening

Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall along or just south of the southern New Jersey coast by early evening, according to the latest advisory from the National Weather Service.

As of 2 p.m. ET, Sandy is located about 110 miles southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and about 175 miles south-southeast of New York City. Maximum sustained winds from Hurricane Sandy remain near 90 mph with higher gusts. More on BreakingNews.com: http://www.breakingnews.com/topic/sandy

Photo: One of three major approaches to Atlantic City, New Jersey, is covered with water. (Tom Mihalek / Reuters)

New York Stock Exchange to close trading floor, trade electronically for storm

Bloomberg News:

The New York Stock Exchange said it will shut its trading floor starting tomorrow and invoke contingency plans to move all trading to NYSE Arca, its electronic exchange, as Hurricane Sandy heads toward the city.

Photo credit: Scott Eells / Bloomberg

New York mass transit to shut down in preparation for Sandy

NBC New York: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that subways, buses and commuter rails will begin shutting down at 7 p.m. Sunday. Bridges and tunnels will close on a “case by case basis.”

The announcement comes as Hurricane Sandy roars towards the Northeast US; it is expected to make landfall early Tuesday near the southern New Jersey coast.

Photo: Commuters exit the Canal St. A, C and E subway station which was boarded up with plywood to help prevent flooding on Oct. 27 in New York City. (Mary Altaffer / AP)

Monsoon rains in Manila force 270,000 to flee

Reuters: Deadly torrential rains submerged much of the Philippine capital, Manila, Tuesday, forcing nearly 270,000 to flee their homes. More flooding is expected in the north of the country as a tropical storm passes through, officials say.

The Philippines weather bureau says steady rains for the past 10 days, killing more than 50, are set to continue until Wednesday. “It’s like ‘Waterworld,’” the head of the Philippines national disaster agency says.

Photo: A resident pushes his bicycle through murky floodwaters in Quezon City in suburban Manila, Philippines, on Aug. 7, 2012. (Jay Directo / AFP - Getty Images)

Northeast US cleaning up after severe storms

A state of emergency and curfew remains in effect in Elmira, N.Y., as crews continue clearing trees and repairing power lines that were brought down by a possible tornado yesterday. At least 2 people have been killed after strong thunderstorms swept from Ohio into upstate New York. Read more from AP.

Photo: Jessica Stansfield poses for a photo below an enormous uprooted tree in Elmira, N.Y., after the town was hit by a possible tornado on July 26, 2012. (Adam Fenster / Reuters)