States of attrition: Americans braced as 1,000-mile hurricane bears down

Stretching some 1,000 miles, Category One Hurricane Sandy picked up strength yesterday, with gusts of 100mph, as it tore towards land and was expected to blow ashore in New Jersey or Delaware by early evening local time, hours sooner than had been expected.

The impact yesterday was already reaching beyond the United States as 7,500 flights were cancelled, 
leaving passengers stranded worldwide, and the New York Stock Exchange was closed, the first 
unplanned shutdown since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

States of emergency were declared in six states and hundreds of thousands of people ordered to head for higher ground.

There were rescues in Delaware yesterday and Atlantic City was also experiencing heavy flooding.

President Barack Obama appealed to those in harm’s way to heed evacuation warnings: “Don’t delay, don’t pause, don’t question the instructions that are being given.”