US coast faces fresh battering 
as new storm heads for region

Forecasters said the latest storm appeared weaker than first thought, but it still carried the threat of high winds and storm surges that could cause further damage to the already weakened infrastructure of the country’s most densely populated region.

Hundreds of thousands remained without power as temperatures hit freezing at night, and finding them emergency housing – in some cases, for the long term – was the greatest challenge.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered police to use loudspeakers to warn vulnerable residents, many of them in low-income public housing, about evacuating.

“Even though it’s not anywhere near as strong as Sandy – nor strong enough, in normal times, for us to evacuate anybody – out of precaution and because of the changing physical circumstances, we are going to go to some small areas and ask those people to go to higher ground,” Mr Bloomberg said.

Winds were kicking up this morning in New Jersey, and some battered shore communities were ordering mandatory evacuations.

But many were deciding to stay, worried about their empty homes being looted.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency put a number to the storm’s homeless in New York and New Jersey, saying 95,000 people were eligible for emergency housing assistance. Just under a million still had no power.

Storm surges along the coasts of New Jersey and New York were expected to reach 3 feet (0.9 metres), only half to a third of what the hurricane-driven Sandy caused last week. But Sandy destroyed some protective dunes, especially in New Jersey, making even a weaker surge dangerous.

High winds reaching 65mph could stall power restoration efforts or cause further outages.

New York City was closing all parks, playgrounds and beaches and ordering all construction sites to be secured. On Tuesday evening, Mr Bloomberg ordered three nursing homes and an adult care facility evacuated.

But one resident, Alex Ocasio, was not convinced and planned to ride out the latest storm, even after seeing cars float by.

He put up a handmade sign – “Have gun. Will shoot U” – and started using a bed frame to barricade the door. He has gas, so he keeps the oven on and boils water to stay warm at night.