Hurricane Sandy blamed for 82 deaths in U.S., Canada
North American deaths from Sandy, the massive storm that tore through the U.S. East Coast, rose to at least 82 on Thursday as deaths reported in New York City jumped substantially, and fatalities in New Jersey also rose.
The latest New York City death count has risen to 34, New York City police said on Thursday morning. Fifteen of the city’s dead were found on Staten Island, whose south-eastern flank took the full brunt of the Atlantic storm surge.
New Jersey State police confirmed the death toll in the state had reached 12 as search and rescue teams continued to access devastated areas.
The storm, at one point extending 1,000 miles in diameter, has wound down into a broad weather system that is making its way north into Canada. It knocked out power for millions and crippled transportation systems along the densely populated coastal region. The last of its effects are being felt over the Appalachian mountains.
The following are confirmed deaths related to the storm, however state emergency management agencies and governor’s offices have warned the numbers are subject to change and could go up or down. A decrease may occur if the cause of death is later deemed not to be a direct result on the storm.
New York State: 42 (34 in New York City – by borough: Manhattan 3; Queens 9; Brooklyn 7; Staten Island 15) Maryland: 9 New Jersey: 12 Pennsylvania: 6 West Virginia: 5 Connecticut: 4 Virginia: 2 North Carolina: 1* Toronto, Canada: 1
* The captain of HMS Bounty, a tall ship that sank 125 miles off the southeast coast of Hatteras, North Carolina, is still missing. One unconfirmed death of a man whose vehicle crashed into a downed tree needs a coroner’s decision on whether it is considered storm related. * Massachusetts State Police say a traffic accident that killed one man during the time of the storm was not related to the storm or weather.
