Tuesday Morning Update:

Sandy is no longer an official hurricane, it is a 'Superstorm'.

The three major airports in New York remain shut down today. 12,500 flights have been canceled

Nearly 8,000,000 are without power.

All shut down: The Subway, Holland Tunnel, Tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan; The Brooklyn Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and several others

NYSE canceled trading again today

Fire destroyed 50 homes in Breezy Point

The HMS Bounty (built for the movie 'Mutiny on the Bounty') sunk

Issues at two nuclear power plants

Obviously, this isn't a local storm. However, it could cause issues that affect us here in the Prescott area. And of course, many residents in the quad-city area have friends and relatives on the east coast.

And, of course, Arizonans care about our fellow countrymen. Speaker of the House Andy Tobin has requested our prayers for those that are about to experience this difficult storm and it's aftermath.

Here is the information that we've gathered to date.

Travel

Planning to travel back east? Check to make sure your flight has not been cancelled. Flights have already been cancelled in anticipation of the storm, and many more are cancelled for Monday and Tuesday. According to the Wall Street Journal, travelers will have to wait until Wednesday to attempt to get to their destination. You can also check with FlightAware.com for further information about specific flights.

Here's most recent FlightAware update:

• 6800 flight cancellations
• 1251 flights cancelled to/from within the US on Sunday
• 5559 flights cancelled to/from/within the US on Monday
• Some airlines are suspending operations on Sunday evening. EWR and JFK airport plan to remain open at least through tomorrow morning.
• Every airline is allowing fee-free changes
• Be aware, flights for Tuesday and later can be cancelled if necessary

Federal offices closed

Federal offices in Washington will be closed. Congressman Paul Gosar posted this information:

"On Monday October 29th, my Washington, D.C. office will be closed due to Hurricane Sandy.

"As always, if you need help with the Veterans Administration and veterans' benefits, social security, issues with federal agencies, or any other issue please contact one of my Arizona offices."

New York Stock Exchange

The NYSE will close Monday and possibly Tuesday.

Forecast

This is expected to be a very, very serious storm. New York City has issued widespread mandatory evacuation orders. The warnings from the National Weather Service are dire:

"3. IF YOU ARE RELUCTANT [to evacuate], THINK ABOUT YOUR LOVED ONES, THINK ABOUT THE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WHO WILL BE UNABLE TO REACH YOU WHEN YOU MAKE THE PANICKED PHONE CALL TO BE RESCUED, THINK ABOUT THE RESCUE/RECOVERY TEAMS WHO WILL RESCUE YOU IF YOU ARE INJURED OR RECOVER YOUR REMAINS IF YOU DO NOT SURVIVE."

Public schools and even the elevators will be shut down in Zone A, where there is a mandatory evacuation in place. What is Zone A? CBS Local explains:

• "Coney Island, Manhattan Beach and Red Hook and other areas along the East River in Brooklyn;
• All of the Rockaways, as well as Hamilton Beach and Broad Channel in Queens;
• Almost all of the coastline of Staten Island;
• City Island, a small patch of Throgg's Neck, and another patch of the South Bronx in the Bronx;
• Battery Park City and stretches of the West Side waterfront and of the Lower East Side and East Village in Manhattan."

375,000 people in total are ordered to evacuate.

All subways, trains and buses have been shut down. It is predicted that up to 10,000,000 people could lose power.

If you have friends and family in the wake of the storm, encourage them to follow all evacuation advice.

Here is the satellite image, click here for updates:

Campaigns

Planning to do a final blitz this last week before the election, campaign stops may have to be rescheduled. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is offering his campaign bus for donations; President Obama has promised that red tape and regulations will not hinder recovery efforts.

Here are some video and photos from Riverhead Local, an indie news publication in the New York area.