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- Fifteen deaths confirmed across five states and Canada
- Hospitals are evacuated as emergency power supplies run out
- Now 6.5 million people affected by power outages
- About 200 firefighters battling major fire in Queens
- Dam burst in New Jersey endangers a thousand residents
11.03pm: NY governor Andrew Cuomo reporting 1,943,572 local residents now without power.
10.53pm: Also Sky News is reporting that President Obama has declared a "major disaster" in New York.
10.51pm: There are reports of a dam break in New Jersey and up to a thousand people may have to be rescued in three towns. The worst affected is Moonachie, where more than a metre of water has filled the streets and residents of a trailer park are waiting for help on the roofs of their trailers.
10.19pm: CNN is reporting that thousands of residents are being rescued from three New Jersey towns after a dam broke just after midnight local time.
10.07pm: Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center has issued its 32nd and, apparently, final advisory on Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy.
"The NHC has issued its final advisory on this system. Public advisories from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center will provide updates as long as the system remains a flood threat."
10.02pm: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority are up and about, and have confirmed there will be no morning services , while they assess damage and the likelihood of service through the rest of the day.
9.47pm: Apparently, the stock markets will remain closed tomorrow, but futures will be traded online. All the markets were down today - no real surprise there.
9.36pm: More than 200 firefighters are still battling the callout at Queens and they are struggling to generate the water pressure needed to control the flames.
9.27pm: CNN Storm Chaser Reed Timmer reports 3-4 inches (7.5-10cm) an hour falling near Elkins, West Virginia.
9.24pm: It's 4.24am in New York and the flow of news has slowed, but here's some footage of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority preparing for the storm .
9.04pm: Here's some raw footage of the explosion at a Con Edison power station in Manhattan, doing the rounds of news and social media channels.
8.29pm: NY governor Andrew Cuomo suggests his constituents follow NYS Bridge Authority for information on the city's bridges and FDNY - the Fire Department of New York - for updates. "It is still very dangerous to be outside."
The latest FDNY tweet reports more than 50 homes completely destroyed in a five-alarm fire over 15 buildings in Queens.
8.18pm: Major US clothing manufactuer American Apparel is trying to take advantage of a captive audience by advertising a 20%-off "Hurricane Sandy sale" through its online store. The gimmick is in questionable taste and some are urging customers to boycot the brand.
7.56pm: Exelon Corp declared an "alert" at its New Jersey Oyster Creek nuclear power plant .
7.47pm: And now The Washington Post is reporting another death from a tree falling into a house in Pasadena, Maryland. The Post is also quoting New York City officials that it may take a week to restore power fully.
7.32pm: The US Coast Guard is reporting that the Bounty crew member pulled out of the ocean earlier today has died. Presumably, that will see the death toll upgraded to 15.
7.29pm: Seven New York subway tunnels have been flooded during Sandy and CNN is quoting a Metro Transity Authroity spokesman as saying it will take up to four days to get the water out of the tunnels.
7.16pm: The number of customers without power in 13 states and Washington DC has been upgraded to 6,535,896.
7.12pm: By the way, our man on the spot - Jack Tame - tweets he's "all good".
7.06pm: This is the largest storm-related outage in our history, said Con Edison Senior Vice President for Electric Operations John Miksad. Consolidated Edison is one of the major power providers in New York.
Con Edison is advising people, if their power goes out, turn off all lights and appliances to prevent overloaded circuits when power is restored.
6.51m: Death toll in the US and Canada rises to 14, with an eight-year-old boy struck by a tree limb in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
6.47pm: Meanwhile, some things just keep ticking along as the world ends outside their door - the US Supreme Court in New York heard a challenge to the wiretaps law .
6.38pm: The National Hurricane Center has issued this latest Tropical Weather Outlook .
6.24pm: CNN is now reporting another death - a 62-year-old man killed by a falling tree in Oley, Pennsylvania - bringing the toll to 13 across the US and Canada.
"The gentleman went outside to let his dog out and he was on his back porch when a tree fell on the porch," said Pennsylvania State Police spokesman David Beohm.
They're also reporting extensive flooding in the basement of New York's Bellevue Hospital Center, which is running on emergency power, but with now injuries.
And a major fire in the Rockaway Park area of Queens, New York.
6.16pm: CNN's Piers Morgan tweets that every governor/mayor he's spoken to says they've never seen anything like this storm in their lives.
6.10pm: This photo has gone viral on social
media, but some pranksters have taken the opportunity to play their
tricks and this "Franken-storm" image is a fake - still impressive.
5.56pm: One Kiwi already in New York is France Morton, who arrived two weeks ago to prepare for next weekend's NY marathon with the Achilles Foundation. Her team-mates are due to arrive for the race on Thursday.
"It's all built up to this week," she told ONE News. "As if we didn't have enough pressure, now we get this.
"I went for a run this morning, before things got gnarly, and things were very eerie - there was no-one around, the subways were closed and it was just me running through the abandonned streets of New York. Since then, the winds have gotten up.
"They're reassuring us that everything will be fine, but there are banners up in the streets showing the marathon course - they're coming loose and flapping around. There will be a lot of work to get things in order by Sunday."
5.49pm: NZ travel agents are advising Kiwis heading to eastern US states to find a stopover on the way and wait out the storm before heading to their destinations.
5.42pm: Hoboken mayor Dawn Zimmer has told CNN that half her city of 50,000 is flooded and two fire stations have been evacuated.
5.38pm: The Washington Post is reporting snowfall in western Maryland and warns as much as 24 inches (60cm) could accumulate. It's also reporting 5.8 million customers without power in the US as a result of Sandy.
5.34pm: CNN is now confirming the earlier report of evacuations afrom New York University's Langone Medical Center ...
"Due to the severity of Hurricane Sandy and the higher than expected storm surge, we are in the process of transferring approximately 200 patients within the medical center to nearby facilities. We are having
intermittent telephone access issues, and for this reason the receiving hospital will notify the families of their arrival. They're on backup power now and have been for the past 2.5 hours approx there's no flooding in the hospital (may be flooding in basement).
5.30pm: New York mayor Mike Bloomberg is now reporting that the storm surge that peaked at 4.26m at Battery is now down to three metres, so while the waters are subsiding, many of the related issues (like power outages remain).
5.25pm: Amateur YouTube footage of flooding at East 8th Street and Avenue C before the blackout, taken by Sean Blackwell.
5.18pm: New York governor Andrew Cuomo has shouted out to the city's "first responders", who are working hard to meet Sandy head-on - New York's finest indeed.
5.14pm: Maryland Emergency Management Agency are urging residents to "like" their local branch on Facebook , where they have been posting urgent information.
5.12pm: Local officials are now being quoted as putting the death toll at 12 across the US and Canada.
5:06pm: Atlantic County has retweeted a Special Weather Statement and Coastal Flood Warning from the National Weather Service.
5.02pm: Some 629 Kiwis across 17 states have reported to the NZ Embassy in the United States . There have been no requests for help, but anyone who hasn't reported should do so or contact relatives to reassure them.
4.57pm: The National Hurricane Center advises people to conserve cell phone battery by reducing screen brightness, turning them off periodically and limiting voice calls. They also suggest people tell relatives they're Ok by text or social media networks.
4.55pm: New York governor Andrew Cuomo reports 1,591,335 New Yorkers without power.
4.53pm: We just received word that generators at New York Hospital have failed and patients are being evacuated - we'll keep you informed on further details.
4.42pm: Dr Rick Knabb at the National Hurricane Center is tweeting record high-water levels at Battery, New York at 9.24pm (local time), with 13.88 feet (4.26m). Also an 80km/h wind gust at the National Weather Service in Albany .
4:36pm: Con Edison is denying reports that 19 of their employees are trapped in a power station - they say it is a rumour.
4.31pm: ONE News is about to start its live report, streamed on onenews.co.nz.
4.20pm: US Coast Guard have released this picture of the Bounty submerged in the Atlantic Ocean, taken during their rescue earlier today.
4:09pm: While Sandy is no longer regarded as a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center is referring to it as a "post-tropical cyclone" and warning that it's still packing hurricane-force winds.
4.04pm: The best way to report a power outage is via Outage Central or phone +1 800 465 1212 in Massachusetts or Rhode Island, or +1 800 867 5222 in New York.
4.00pm: NY mayor Mike Bloomberg suggests 311 online may be the fastest way to get information or to report non-emergencies.
3.56pm: Water is entering the New York subway from the East River, but pumps are working, according to CNN .
3.54pm: Sandy has been downgraded from a "hurricane" to a "superstorm" - winds speeds have dropped, it's no longer over water and it has no eye.
3:51pm: The National Grid is working hard to restore power as soon as possible, while also staying safe. Updates are available here .
3.44pm: CNN reports the death toll has reached at least 10 people - a woman was electrocuted in the New York borough of Queens, when she stepped into a puddle.
3.40pm: The National Grid is warning people who come in contact with flood water to wash their hands before eating, and not to touch their eyes, mout or face with dirty hands.
3.31pm: The Washington Post is reporting 60mph (100km/h) winds and a large tree falling on nine vehicles in a parking lot in Oxon Hill.
3.27pm: The New York Mayor's office has thanked residents for their co-operation but repeated calls not to drive on the city's roads. It tweeted : "Mayor: We need to keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles. Do not drive. Stay wherever you are."
2.57pm: The National Weather Service New York confirms that a record high water level has been set at the Battery.
2.42pm: CNN is reporting that five people have been killed in New York, though this has not yet been confirmed elsewhere. The NYC Mayor's Office says Mayor Michael Bloomberg will make a statement at about 2.50pm NZT.
2.35pm: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says JFK International, Newark Liberty International, Teterboro and Stewart International airports remain open but air carriers have ceased operations.
"We are encouraging travellers not to travel to the airports," it says in a statement. The authority earlier said that LaGuardia airport had been closed.
2.30pm: The New York Times says a fire official in NYC has confirmed the first death in the city as a result of Sandy. A 30-year-old man died after a tree fell on his house, it says.
2.21pm: CNN reports that the water level at the Battery is more than three feet (almost a metre) higher than previously recorded.
2.17pm: The National Hurricane Center says a storm tide of 13.7 feet (4 metres) has been recorded at the Battery in New York.
2.13pm: Director of Operations for the State of New York Howard Glaser tweets that lower Manhattan is being covered by seawater. "I am not exagerating," he writes.
2.11pm: In its 9pm (2pm NZT) update, the National Hurricane Center says hurricane force wind gusts have been reported over Long Island and the New York Metropolitan areas.
2.06pm: The New York Police Department advises: "911 callers w/ life-threatening emergencies should hold the line for operators. If you hang up and call back it goes to the end of the queue."
The NYPD said 311 should be used for non-emergency calls such as reporting downed trees so that emergency responses were not delayed.
1.52pm: New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo says cars are floating down streets in Lower Manhattan , Sky News reports.
1.50pm: The Washington Post reports that as of 8.30pm (1.30pm NZT) there were 131,710 people without power in the DC area.
1.45pm: Con Edison says it has cut off power to part of Lower Manhattan. It says the move will protect equipment and "allow for quicker restoration after Hurricane Sandy passes".
"Sea water from Hurricane Sandy's storm surge threatened to flood the underground electrical delivery system, prompting the shutdown," it says.
1.42pm: The Maryland State Highway Administration warns motorists not to travel overnight. "Treacherous conditions - hundreds of trees down/flooding/snow/traffic signals w/power [sic],too," it tweets.
1.35pm: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closes La Guardia Airport . JFK, Newark Liberty, Stewart and Teterboro airports remain open but flights may be subject to delays and cancellations, the authority says.
1.31pm: The National Hurricane Center says a storm surge of 8.6 feet (2.6m) has been recorded at Sandy Hook in New Jersey.
1.25pm: Fema administrator Craig Fugate warns on Twitter : "While #Sandy has made landfall, don't expect things to get better soon, a lot more storm impacts tonight, tomorrow, even into Thursday."
1.21pm: The New York City Office of Emergency Management warns residents: "Go indoors immediately and remain inside, staying away from windows".
1.16pm: US correspondent Jack Tame in New York says electricity is "dipping and surging already".
1.14pm: The NHC says Cyclone Sandy has maximum sustained winds of 130kph and is moving at 27kph.
1.11pm: The National Hurricane Center says Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy has made landfall on the coast of southern New Jersey - near Atlantic City.
1.05pm: The New York Times tweets "Lady Liberty goes dark".
1.03pm: Check out our gallery of photos of Cyclone Sandy .
1.01pm: CNN reports that water levels in Battery Park have broken the 1960 record.
12.59pm: The Director of the National Hurricane Center Dr Rick Knabb says weather warnings remain for "huge areas" affected by Sandy. "Event nowhere near over," he tweets.
12.02pm: The National Hurricane Center issues a 7pm (12pm NZT) statement advising that Hurricane Sandy has become a post-tropical cyclone. It says the centre of the cyclone is expected to make landfall in the next hour or so.
11.48am: US correspondent Jack Tame will give a live update on Hurricane Sandy from New York on ONE News at midday.
11:43am: The New York Office of Emergency Management has published a list of shelters .
11:35am: Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) administrator Craig Fugate posts a video on YouTube advising people affected by Hurricane Sandy on how to stay safe.
11.29am: Web-only video: Peter Williams brings you the latest on Hurricane Sandy.
11.25am: The US Coast Guard says one of the two crew missing off the tall ship Bounty has been found "unresponsive".
11.21am: The New York Post tweets that Hurricane Sandy has made landfall .
11.16am: Officials at a New York City media briefing say two surfers were arrested at Coney Island after refusing to get out of the water. Mayor Michael Bloomberg stresses that people should remain indoors and "relax".
11.13am: New Jersey Transit says transport services will remain suspended on Tuesday.
11.11am "It's as bad a storm as we have seen in modern day - the difference is today we are prepared for it," Bloomberg says. "I think we are better prepared than we have ever been before."
11.09am: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there are around 3,500 people in shelters .
11.05am: New York power company Con Edison says more than 68,000 of its customers are without power.
11.03am: Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley tells reporters: "There will undoubtedly be some deaths that are caused by the intensity of this storm, by the floods, by the tidal surge, by the waves.
"The more responsibly citizens act, the fewer people will die."
10.58am: Bloomberg praises NYC police and firefighters "theyr'e out there full-time and they're working long shifts".
10.53am: In a media briefing, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg tells NYC residents "try to relax and spend the night in - we expect the worst to be over tomorrow".
He says there have not yet been any fatalities and he hopes that continues.
"It would be wonderful if we could get through this and then we could look back and dine on this 'storm of the Century'," he says.
10:46am New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there have been more than 1,000 reports of tree damage and that a jogger was earlier struck by a falling branch and hospitalised.
"I can't emphasise enough - stay indoors," the mayor tells reporters. "For us to lose an emergency responder because of someone's irresponsibility would be an outrage."
Bloomberg stresses that 911 calls should be for true emergencies only.
10.41am: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says it is too late to evacuate residents who have ignored warnings to leave. He says the situation will be reviewed tomorrow morning. "Be sure to hunker down and stay safe until then."
10:28: The American Red Cross has opened for residents affected by Hurricane Sandy and published advice on its website .
10.24am: CNN reports that the power has gone out in Atlantic City.
10.22am: National Hurricane Centre Director Rick Knabb tells CNN the storm surge hazard will "persist for a day or two". Knabb says despite Sandy speeding up it will still be "a long duration event for many people". "Once the rain starts it could last for a couple of days in some places," he says.
10:12: Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley appeals to residents to stay indoors "this is a very, very dangerous storm" he tells media.
10:06: The US National Grid warns residents to "consider all downed wires to be live".
10.00am: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority says all Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAcces services are suspended and will not resume on Tuesday morning local time.
9.27am: CNN reports that more than 765,000 people in seven states are without electricity.
9.20am: The Washington Post tweets that winds are "becoming hazardous in the DC area".
9.18am: Click here to watch our video of the partially collapsed crane in New York City.
9.15am: Are you a New Zealander in the US bracing for the storm? Send your videos and images to news@tvnz.co.nz
9.11am: The National Hurricane Centre issues an update on Sandy , which it says is 90km from Cape May, New Jersey.
9.07am: The National Weather Service New York tweets that there there have been hurricane force wind gusts near the coast of Long Island. It says a 65 knot gust (120kph) has been reported in Groton, Connecticut.
8.59am: The National Hurricane Centre says Sandy is expected to reach the coast of southern New Jersey or central Delaware between 6pm and 9pm on Monday local time (11am and 1pm Tuesday NZT).
8.54am: The BBC has published a video of the crane collapse in New York City.
8.49am: New York City power provider Consolidated Edison warns customers in Lower Manhattan it may shut down power on Monday evening (Tuesday afternoon NZT). It says it will make a decision at high tide - 8pm (1pm NZT).
8.42am: New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River will close at 4pm local time (9am NZT).
8.30am: The New York City Office of Emergency Management has warned residents in the building where a crane has collpased to move to lower floors.
8.15am: United Continental says it has cancelled 3,700 flights until Wednesday because of Sandy. Delta Air Lines says it cancelled some 2,100 flights until Tuesday morning local time.
8.07am: The New York Post retweets a photo of the collapse from political commentator Dee Dee Benkie
8.02am: A crane has partially collapsed in New York City , New York-based New Zealander Paul Stenhouse tweets .
7.45am: In its latest statement , the National Hurricane Center says Sandy is expected to make landfall "early this evening" (Tuesday afternoon NZT).
7.34am: The US Coast Guard reports the tall ship Bounty has sunk off the coast of North Carolina, but its mast is "still visible". It was 250km west of the eye of hurricane, when disaster struck.
7.10am: Are you a New Zealander in the US bracing for the storm? Email us at news@tvnz.co.nz
7am: Hurricane Sandy is moving at a relatively slow speed of 15-20kmh. Which Tame says may mean it could sit over an area and drop a lot of rain, increasing potential for destruction.
6.58am: Tame reports that the US Coast Guard were called into rescue the crew of the HMS Bounty, which was sailing off the coast of North Carolina. The ship came into trouble as the storm approached, and the crew were forced to abondon ship. The vessel has since sunk, and two crew members are still missing. The ship featured in the movie Priates of the Caribbean Two .
6.57am: Tame says people seem "pretty enthusaistic about getting the right supplies", adding the from recent experiences the US public "know how serious hurricanes can be".
6.56am: Jack Tame says businesses, schools and all public transport has shut down in New York.
6.55am: Tame says it's been raining for last few hours in New York, but "nothing serious yet".
6.54am: ONE News US correspondant Jack Tame speaking live in New York tells TV ONE's Breakfast that for people along the east coast "it's just a game of waiting".
6.48am: Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall at Maryland. In comparison to previous storms, Sandy is 1600km-wide, compared to Hurricane Irene which was 600km-wide. Sandy's storm surge is predicted to be less than 5m, which is smaller than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans.
6.34am: Hurricane Sandy is expected to hit US at around 1pm New Zealand time. It is predicted to hit highly populated, low-lying areas like New York the hardest. With the full moon, increasing tides by up to 4-feet, flooding is a major concern.
6.31am: Obama says: "The election will take care of itself next week, the number one priority is to save lives."
6.16am: US stock markets confirmed closure on Tuesday. It's the first time they have closed in 27 years. They are likely to close tomorrow as well.
6.10am: US media reports 80mph winds in North Carolina, with streets flooded, thousands without power.
6.09am: Romney campaign bus has emergency relief supplies, ready to hand out to people after the storm. The presidential contender says his "thoughts and prayers" are with people bracing themselves for the storm to hit.
6.08am: Obama says the American public will "pull together and help one-another out".
6.01am: US media reporting it as a "monster storm".
5.53am: Obama says he is not concerned about the impact of the storm on the US presidential election
5.52am: Obama says US public needs to prepare for the fact that it will take a long time to clean up after the storm.
5.50am: Obama says transportation will be tied up for a long time after this storm, says emergency crews will not be able to restore power for several days.
5.49am: Obama encourages Americans to evacuate if told to do so, is confident that assets are in place for the aftermath of the storm.
5.48am: Obama says Hurricane Sandy is going to be a big and powerful storm, says anticipates that centre of storm to hit sometime this evening local time.
5.45am: Obama speaks to the US public live from the White House
5.40am: Reuters reports the US stock markets are likely to be closed on Tuesday, an announcement is expected shortly.
5am: Obama has skipped a campaign event to fly back to Washington. He will make a statement at the White House, following a briefing about the storm in the White House 'situation room'.
4.44am: The US Supreme Court has announced it will not convene on Tuesday, due to Hurricane Sandy. Most federal government offices in Washington were already closed on Monday.