Hurricane Sandy Death Toll

·         Toronto police reported deaths from the massive storm system and said that a Canadian woman was killed by flying debris.

·         Governor Andrew Cuomo reported 15 storm-related deaths including 10 people killed when the storm struck New York City.

·         3 people died in New Jersey when a falling tree crashed the vehicle in which they drove.

·         Four people lost their lives in Pennsylvania, including one killed from a falling tree and a house which collapsed.

·         Connecticut Governor Dan Mallow reported that two people had been killed in his state, including a firefighter.

·         Along the east coast a woman was recovered from the sea and died later at hospital.

·         In Maryland a woman died when her vehicle hit a tree, and in West Virginia another woman was killed when her car collided with a cement truck.

·         Falling trees dragged down power cables and left millions of homes in darkness.

·         Tens of thousands of travelers are marooned at airports.

·         US authorities ordered hundreds of thousands of residents from New England to North Carolina to evacuate their homes.

·         It is estimated that the storm would affect more than 60 million Americans, which is a fifth of the population.

·         According to the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Exchange Hurricane Sandy forced a two-day shutdown; the markets’ first closure since the 9/11 attacks. Their building and systems were not damaged. Trading will start as usual at 9.30 a.m.

Bracing the storm, counting the cost

As the US braced for the hurricane, the Caribbean nations were burying the dead and finding shelters for homeless people. At least 69 people died in six countries, Haiti confirmed 52 dead as flimsy buildings gave in to mudslides, and in Port-au-Prince about 200,000 are homeless; emergency shelter has only been provided for 17,000. This is not a full account of lives lost. Do go online for more information on the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.