The latest Hurricane Sandy update says that at least 40 people have died and eight million homes and businesses are left powerless, while the transportation system across the north-eastern US was paralysed. Hurricane Sandy in New York city has killed 18 people so far, with subway getting flooded.

In New York, Hurricane Sandy forced 18,000 flights to be cancelled. “New York’s subway system sustained the worst damage in its 108-year history”, Joseph Lhota, head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), said, adding, “Subway tunnels which were flooded can be declared functional only after the electrical equipment is cleaned.”

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the Hurricane Sandy is the worst storm ever experienced by New York city. He said that there was “no timeline” for when the subway would restart, but he hoped buses could begin running again on Wednesday. Adding to people’s woes he said that it would take around two or three days before power is restored to most parts of the city. The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq exchange said they will re-open after two days’ closure.

Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, said that the tidal surge from Hurricane Sandy left fields of debris 7ft (2.25m) high and carried small railway goods cars onto elevated sections of the New Jersey Turnpike.

It is believed that the cost of repairing the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy would run somewhere between $30-40bn (ÂŁ18-24bn).

Meanwhile, amidst this pandemonium, some miscreants spread false rumours on Twitter such as posting photoshopped images of the trading floor of New York Stock Exchange submerged under several feet of water. Before the exchange could issue a denial, the rumour was circulated by countless users ans was even aired by CNN.

But Twitter also helped those residents who could not reach the clogged 911 helpline through phones. The the Fire Department’s @fdny Twitter account was flooded with appeals for information and help for trapped relatives and friends.

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Hurricane Sandy causes scrapping of many UK flights to US and vice versa