Nor’easter lashes East Coast

Nearly 500,000 homes lost electricity in Massachusetts as hurricane-force winds blew across the East Coast. Poweroutage.us reported more than 100,000 power outages in surrounding states, concentrated in Rhode Island. Boston advised against travel on Monday morning and told residents to stay indoors and away from windows. The National Weather Service recorded gusts up to 90 miles per hour on Tuesday evening.

How are states responding? The governors of New Jersey and New York issued state of emergency orders ahead of the storm. Both states saw heavy flooding in September during Hurricane Ida. Local government officials told drivers to turn around if they came across submerged roads. A downed tree pulled power lines onto a school bus in Connecticut on Tuesday, but the six students on board escaped with no injuries. One kayaker’s body was found near the Bronx after he went missing just before heavy rains started on Monday. Meteorologists worry that soaked ground covered with fallen leaves will cause more downed trees, but the winds and rain died down throughout the day on Wednesday.

Dig deeper: Read Kim Henderson’s report in WORLD Magazine about recovery efforts after Hurricane Ida.