Hurricane Sandy has officially been listed as a category 2 storm, with winds up to 105 mph, and could affect many locations around the United States as early as this weekend.
The hurricane made its presence felt in Cuba on Thursday, bringing massive rain storms and intense winds that destroyed homes and crops throughout the island. The hurricane touched down on the island around dawn and moved at speeds of over 18 mph causing over 15,000 people to evacuate.
At least two people have died due to Hurricane Sandy. A man was killed in Jamaica when he was crushed by a boulder that rolled onto his house, according to CNN. A woman was also killed on Wednesday in Haiti after she was swept away when trying to cross a river.
There are early predictions that the hurricane could also move up the east coast in the U.S. and possible start a nor'easter, a winter-like storm, sometime early next week.
The Star Ledger is reporting that Sandy is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to locations like Florida, Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York for most of next week.
"Jersey Central Power & Light officials are monitoring the storm," said Ron Morano, a company spokesman. "The utility company has also placed all employees on alert and is prepared to mobilize employees and resources where needed if Hurricane Sandy develops into a threat to the region."
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has already started to warn people that the hurricane will test the state's "emergency preparedness planning and utilities operating under new laws."
Early reports say that some areas in the state could see some coastal and inland flooding according to the Weather Channel.
Patrick has made a Friday deadline for state utility workers to report to him with their plans for both storm damage repairs and customer service response. This kind of planning is taking place mainly due to the fact that a lot of states on the east coast were not prepared for 2011's Hurricane Irene and the October snow storm that knocked out power in many locations for weeks according to The Boston Globe.
Massachusetts has worked hard to improve call centers during major storms to answer customer's questions and organize with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
Maryland has also already started preparing for the worse no matter what winds up actually happening.
The Mayor's Office of Emergency Management in Baltimore is pleading to local residents to make sure they not only monitor the storm, but have battery-powered radio, fresh batteries, and a battery-powered radio on hand according to The Baltimore Sun.
Baltimore Electric and Gas companies have been watching forecasts for the hurricane already as well, and have been preparing for the worse just in case the storm causes major power outages across the state.
The Weather Underground's Jeff Masters states that the storm could possibly cause over $1 billion in damage by the time it is over, with 70 percent chance of a significant damage occurring in the U.S.
Related Articles:
Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight, Find Out What Time Exactly, Live Stream Here
Asteroid 2012 TC4 Came Close To Earth, Size Of A House
Toyota Tundra Pickup Towed Space Shuttle Endeavor In California
$1.84 For A Gallon Of Gas At Jersey City Exxon Station, First 150 Customers Eligible
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?