Children's Bodies Recovered;Hurricane Sandy Telethon Tomorrow

The bodies of two New York brothers who went missing during Hurricane Sandy's onslaught were recovered Friday in a Staten Island marsh.The boys,ages two and four,were swept away from their mother's arms by the storm surge.The bodies of two elderly people were found nearby.
Many people were still missing three days after the storm slammed into the East Coast.The US death toll was at 88 as of sunset Friday.
This is why the evacuation orders were issued,said FEMA director Craig Fugate.The storm surge can literally destroy homes;it's not just a matter of water flowing through the streets.
The first search was for the injured and the trapped;the next will be to go back and look for those still missing,Mr.Fugate explained.
Five million people were still off the electric grid as of sunset.Temperatures will be below normal for several days,dipping to freezing or below at night.It could be weeks before all of the power is back on.FEMA is marshaling utility equipment and crews in the West and flying them to the East using military assets,Mr.Fugate added.
Relief efforts have been bitterly criticised by frustrated victims of the disaster.They felt a sense of abandonment.Search and rescue was the first priority,Mr.Fugate stated;getting assistance in was next.Nine million dollars have already been approved for those who lack flood insurance and the resources to rebuild.
Friday at 8pm Eastern,a relief telethon will be broadcast live on the networks of NBC Universal and on NBC.com."Hurricane Sandy:Coming Together" will be carried by NBC;Bravo;CNBC;E!;G4;MSNBC;Style;Syfy;The Weather Channel;and USA.The Weather Channel will also rebroadcast the event at 11pm Eastern.
The one hour broadcast will be hosted by Matt Lauer and feature appearances by Sting;Christina Aguilera;Bruce Springsteen;Jon Bon Jovi;Billy Joel and others.It will benefit the American Red Cross efforts to provide food,water,shelter and counseling to Sandy victims.

Shop Talk:Hurricane Sandy Impacts

The US markets will be closed again Tuesday.There will be a strong effort to reopen on Wednesday.
This blog is on battery power.The newsreel feature should continue to operate 24/7 as normal.It is in the right hand column.Thank you for your patience at this difficult time.
First responders are being run ragged.Sirens blew all day.One can imagine the water rescues that are taking place,as well as downed wires and fallen trees on cars.Signing off for now.

Hurricane Sandy Menaces East;Louisville Bests Cincinnati

Hurricane Sandy is only a category 1 storm,yet the fact that it is merging with another storm makes it a major threat to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.The monster storm may lash the most densely populated part of the nation with tropical storm force winds,rain and even snow up to 400 miles inland for a sustained period of time,computer models agree.
Heavy snow may occur in the Appalachian Mountains as cold air from a non-tropical system approaching from the West meets Sandy's tropical moisture.Some 50 million people are preparing for a long siege of flooding rains,high winds,power outages and heavy wet snow.
States of Emergency have been declared in several states,enabling governors to call up the National Guard to assist in recovery efforts.All computer models agree that high pressure over Eastern Canada will block Sandy as it moves up the East Coast,causing it to veer westward over the major cities and on to the Appalachians.
First responders and power companies are fueling trucks and gathering parts and gear to deal with expected maelstrom from the superstorm.
In Big East Conference college football,the Louisville Cardinals slipped past the Cincinnati Bearcats in Louisville Friday night  by a 34-31 score on John Wallace's overtime field goal.The Cardinals won the Keg of Nails trophy for the first time in five years,lifting them to an 8-0 record on the season.