Good evening on this sunday night. As we come on this air, you can see it swirling right over my shoulder here. Whats being called a superstorm tonight. Hurricane sandy is more than 200 miles off the coast, about to crash into two other systems when it makes landfall. Take a look at this tonight. This is the imagery from space. A massive storm, 1,000 miles across. Long before it makes landfall sometime tomorrow night, it is already being felt on the coastline. Whipping winds and rains have flooded many communities. The number of americans impacted by this storm will be enormous. 60 Million People, really anyone east of the mississippi will be affected. Hundreds of thousands have already been evacuated tonight. This evening, we learned schools are closed for 2 million children across seven states and washington, d. C. As they ask, what about halloween . And, tonight, the potential damage zone, reaching 800 miles inland from the east coast. This evening, blizzard warnings have gone up in some parts of the country. And extreme weather team all over it tonight. Sam champion, on the storm track tonight, but were going to begin with abcs matt gutman. Matt, good evening. Reporter good evening, david, from a very welt and surprisingly cold outer banks in north carolina, where a glancing blow from sandy has been absolutely punishing. Weve been measuring wind gusts here at over 60 miles per hour. Over the past 24 hours, this weather has been relentless. The waves, the wind, all of this rain has been coming in, gives you a sense of the length of this storm, which is still 260 miles out at sea. Now, couple of communities like Cape Hatteras have been cut off because of flooding here. All of this foam that you see around me everywhere, this is sea foam. A lot of people out there think hurricanes are purely tropical systems, but this is absolutely cold. You can feel it getting icier been the hour as this system moves northward. David . Matt gutman, our thanks to you. And we want to ask this question, everyones been asking today, why is this being called a superstorm, and where is the track right now . Lets bring in sam champion in lower manhattan, where there could be a huge storm surge. Sam, lets start with the track. Where is sandy right now . Reporter all right, so, david, lets look at it and show you the latest from the her cape center. Theres not been much change from yesterday to today. If you look at the track, you may see the by the way, let me just mention, as you said, david, this cloud canopy goes from the carolinas all the way past hudson bay and canada, almost into the Arctic Circle there. Unbelievable. But that shift in the track, ever so slight, if you look right around tuesday at 2 00 a. M. , that Atlantic City line. Its been weaving a little bit on new jersey, where the center of that path would be. But thats not that important, other than where the major water will go, with that storm surge. The rest of the affects, the wind and rain, david, will be felt from the midatlantic well into new england for at least two days. Back to that question i asked there a moment ago, so many people wondering why is this being called a superstorm . Reporter david, i think the best way to tell people that is show them on a graphic that we put together. Its a 3d graphic that will show you all three elements. Its easier to look at it once you see them. All night long, sandy marches up the east coast, practically parallel. More than 200 miles offshore. It will collide with an arctic front coming in from the west, throwing a new dose of energy into the storm and expanding its already monther size and reach. Then, inject the 1 150mileperhour plus winds of the jet stream and forecasters think sandy explodes into a superstorm. And so when you see Something Like that, then you realize this is not just a hurricane, this is a totally different animal. There is nothing we can compare it to, a storm system in the northeast, in the atlantic, its very difficult to say this is going to be like any other storm, because its really cutting brand new territory. There are the elements that are a problem here, no matter what kind of storm moves onshore. Theres the storm surge and sandy looks like its going have a big one. As you said, david, theres estimates that the storm surge here will be above 11 feet. We looked back, we cant see ever, 1960, there was one incident of ten feet of water in new york harbor and that was the most up until that point. We havent seen anything that would approach the 11. 5 estimate. You can see how the storm surge is all up and down the coastline. Because this storm is so large. Then, take a look at the wind field. Any of those areas, in red, were going to see 60 to 80mileperhour wind gusts for a good part of that area. Anywhere 70 to 80 miles per hour, thats very strong wind. They go all the way inland to pittsburgh. And theres the rainfall totals here. This is soaking rain. Weve been adjusting where the heaviest rain will be. It looks like Central New Jersey south to the delmarva peninsula, and inland, again, almost to pittsburgh. But not that much of a difference. 4 to 6 inches is just as flood worthy as anything in the center of that storm, david. Very serious, sam. Blizzard warnings up now, as well . Reporter oh, yeah, david. Thats Something Else we have to talk about. 1 to 2 feet of snow above 3,000 feet. For the mountains of west virginia. The National Weather service in charleston put them out. Six states that have winter storm watches or warnings out right now. So, thats the secondary, well, i dont know, probably the fourth element of this storm to worry about once we get the wind, the rain and the surge through, david. All right, sam champion, thank you. Well check back in with you shortly. As you heard sam report there, sandy will most likely come ashore right near Atlantic City in new jersey. This evening, major evacuations under way, and the National Hurricane center is warning there could be life threatening storm surges there. Abc merlg ginger zee is in Atlantic City tonight. Reporter david, this bro broadwalk is lined with sandbags. The casinos are empty. We could get 10 to 20 foot waves here. This whole thing could be under water by tuesday morning. So, this is certainly ground zero for when this beast comes on shore. Its a mandatory ghost town in Atlantic City. The boardwalk, boarded up. The customary kaching of casino floors silent. Tolls were waved to get people out fast. Buses lined up to take those who couldnt leave on their own to the shelters around the city. Theyre preparing here for a direct hit. We have to get the boards up because of the weather. Reporter you dont intend to leave . We tried to leave. We couldnt find anywhere to go. We didnt want to be in a shelter. Reporter we found john and his friend borrowing santd from the beach and bringing it home. Have to bag up the house. Reporter you figured, just grab it from the beach . Right, right. We have to use the trash bags for now. Reporter dan lives right on the shore but hes getting out. Youre worried . Yeah, im really worried. They just told a friend of mine, say, they think its going to hit the bay, the bay and the ocean is going to come together. Reporter much of the 200 miles of jersey shore is a series of Barrier Islands with water on both sides. So, the concern isnt just about storm surge piling up from the ocean. Its also about storm surge coming off of bays just like this one, pushing into homes luke these on the other side of these their owe isla narrow isl. The storm comes at a bad time, as well, during a full moon. Any surf will be especially dangerous. One last note for you. Inland flooding will be an issue. West of philadelphia, anywhere like harrisburg or baltimore, were watching for the rivers and little creeks to really fill up. Well be watching and chasing the storm. Back to you. Ginger, our thanks to you. The federal government just announcing moments ago it will shut down washington tomorrow. And here in new york city tonight, theres a state of emergency under way. Authorities are scrambling to keep more than 8 Million People sa safe. And look at this picture. One of the many subway entrances here in new york, this one in times square, the subway will be shut down within the hour. The last passengers getting on to get on and weekend gma anchor right there in times square tonight. Reporter good evening, david. They are getting ready to shut this place down. Not only are all the broadway theaters going dork, but as you mentioned, americas largest subway system is about to halt service. Look at the sign behind me. Two words. System shutdown. Tonight in the city that normally never sleeps, not only are they shutting down the subways and the broadway shows, but they are taping up the windows at department stores, can receiving Public School classes and ordering 375,000 people to evacuate lowlying areas. If you dont evacuate, you are just putting your own life, not just your own life in danger, you are also endangering the lives of our First Responders who may have to come in and rescue you. Reporter the mayor warning people who live in high rises to stay away from the windows, which could be blown out by flying debris. But e big risk to new york city is the storm surge. Water, gushing in from the harbor, over the citys flood watt, pouring into the subway tunnels and roads and underground power transformers, potentially causing billions in damage. If it hits the maximum tide, then im afraid we are in pretty bad trouble. Reporter last year, during Tropical Storm irene, the waters came within less than a foot from topping the flood walls. And now, sandys storm surge is predicted to be even stronger. Since irene failed to do the damage here in new york city that many predicted, some people, like this family, who live in the evacuation zone, are refusing to heed the warnings for sandy. We have diapers, we have water. You know, just hoping to make the best of it. Reporter there are long lines as the supermarket tonight. It really is a mad house. Reporter yeah. Like, oh, my god. Reporter the streets are crackling not with panic but with with an upbeat, preapocalyptic vibe. Im a new yorker. Come on, what do you want to do . Reporter got to admire her spirit. One piece of breaking news from here in new york. We just learned that the stock market will be closed tomorrow. There were concerns if they tried to stay open, they might lose power during the course of the day. Back to you. And a few people over your shoulder still getting into the subway. Dan harris, thank you. And in addition to the subway shutdown in new york city, air travel is shutting down tonight, as well. So far, more than 6,000 flights have been canceled. Ripple effects around the country will be huge. Abcs lisa stark is in washington tonight. Reporter at new Yorks Laguardia airport, a mad house today as travelers scramble to get out before the storm comes in. Were trying to get back to raleigh, north carolina, and were stuck. Were basically almost having nervous breakdowns. Reporter the airlines are taking no chances, starting to cancel flights tonight, from washington, d. C. Northward. And on monday, united, delta, southwest, american, jet blue and us airways all announcing they will be closed for business on the east coast. A massive shutdown that will ripple nationwide. When there are Flight Cancellations in major hub cities like new york, like philadelphia, like washington, d. C. , that affects travelers all over the country. Reporter airlines will remove planes from airports in the hurricanes path and hope they can fly back in on tuesday. Train travel, too, coming to a standstill. Amtrak canceling trains north of new york tonight and virtually all east Coast Service on monday. Now, were told that folks are spending hours on the phone trying to get through to their airlines. The best advice, go online, even use twitter to reach your carrier. Once the storm passes, the Airlines Start up again, it will still take a good three to four days to get air travel back to normal. David . What a mess this week is going to be. Lisa stark at reagan national. Lisa, thank you. As we mention, downed power lines could keep millions in the dark long after the storm has passed. Already, an army of Power Company workers are on their way from as far away as oklahoma, like these from ohio. David kerley is in rehoboth beach, delaware, with a different forecast map. David, good evening. Reporter good evening, david. As these waves continue to crash, you are right. An army is headed this direction. An army of utility workers, because if the predictions are right, these lights are going to go out and those workers are going to be extremely busy. The power was going out even before the full force of sandy hit shore. See the fuse . Reporter Larry Jackson knows the worst is still to come. 16 hour days. Reporter thousands of utility workers are in their trucks and headed east tonight, to repair what are expected to be massive Power Outages. These beach vacationers packed up to head home, inland. Actually, the aftermath is what were concerned about. Reporter no power. Right. And for days. Reporter the Power Outages are expected to be widespread. It may take a long time not only to clear, but also to get, for example, the Power Companies back in. Reporter during hurricane irene last year, about 6 million homes lost electricity. This researcher plugged in all the information into a new program and he believes this will be worse. Our estimate at this point is 10 million. It could be higher. Could be lower. Reporter 10 million or more without power for a week to ten days. Which is why this Wisconsin Company has added extra shifts, trying to build also many portable generators as quickly as possible. Officials worry that residents might misuse some of those generators, putting them indoors or stringing extension cords dangerously. Many seem to be heeding the warnings, checking off their lists of preparedness. Batteries, water, nonperishable food. Im nervous about losing power. Im nervous about the storm. Reporter now, of course, if a power line goes down with a limb, the advice is, leave the line alone, leave the tree trim alone, as well. Let the Power Company take care of it. David kerley with us here tonight. David, thank you. Theres still much more ahead on world news this sunday night. The schumerstorm scramble inside the political campaigns tonight. Could this storm effect who wins . The president forced to put campaigning aside tonight. And, for millions of american children, what does this mean for halloween . Later here on the broadcast, well ask sam champion for the halloween forecast, as we track Hurricane Sandy on this special edition of world news tonight. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. At usaa, we know military life is different. Weve been there. Thats why every bit of Financial Advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. 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Mitt romney had to cancel rallies in the state of maryland a short time ago, calling off the first day of early voting tomorrow. And look at this tonight. It all comes as the latest abc news poll shows this is a dead heat, mitt romney, ahead of president obama by just one point, 49 to 48 . And with a race this tight, a big question tonight could the hurricane upend this final stretch . Heres abcs senior Political Correspondent jon karl tonight. Reporter its mother natures october surprise. A storm so big and so destructive, it could throw the campaigns final week into chaos. The storm will throw a little bit of havoc into the race. Reporter for president obama, it meant canceling two Upcoming Events and visiting fema headquarters, vowing an Immediate Response to the storm. Were going to cut through red tape, were not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules. We want to make sure we are anticipating and leaning forward. Reporter there are political stakes, too. A chance for the president to show decisive leadership or to take the blame if the response is bungled. All told, 16 Campaign Events have already been canceled. Mitt romney canceled three in virginia, moving westward to ohio, where he met up with paul ryan. Today, when we get home, put in our prayers the people who are in the east coast, in the wake of this big storm thats coming. Lets not forget those fellow americans of ours. Reporter with just nine days left, the race is as close as ever. A point dramatized in a new obama ad, reminding voters that the 2000 race was decided by a mere 537 votes in florida. If youre thinking that your vote doesnt count, that it wont matter, well, back then, there were probably at least 537 people who felt the same way. Reporter and mitt romney has picked up the endorsements of two iowa newspapers that supported obama last time. One that hasnt supported a republican since richard nixon. With the storm coming and the race so tight, both campaigns are trying to bank as many votes as possible in states with early voting. With lines especially long in virginia and maryland. And the Campaign Goes on. Mitt romney campaigning here in ohio today and the president hitting the trail tomorrow in florida and right back here in ohio. David . The political storm caused by the hurricane, too. Jon karl, thank you. When we come back here tonight, we cant forget the other big event of the week, halloween. Tonight, one spectacular before and after. Look at this pumpkin. In a moment here, you wont believe what it turned into. I have a cold. I took dayquil, but i still have a runny nose. [ male announcer ] dayquil doesnt treat that. Huh . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus rushes relief to all your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you [ male announcer ] youre welcome. 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Over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. For many, prescription nexium not only provides 24hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acidrelated erosions in the lining of your esophagus. Talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosisrelated bone fractures and low magnesium levels with longterm use of nexium. Possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Other serious stomach conditions may still exist. Let your doctor do his job. And you do yours. Ask if nexium is right for you. If you cant afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. And now to the world news instant index tonight, the pictures, the people that caught our eye this weekend. Like lady liberty tonight. About to get whipped by winds from sandy. But a quick celebration today, just ahead of the storm. The crown of the statue reopening today, on its 126th birthday. The 30 million makeover includes new stairs and an elevator. With halloween this week, lets hope its not completely wiped out. Look at this snap shot. Spectacular pumpkin carving. Ray took on three giant gourds, like at this one. One of them weighing 1,900 pounds. Armed with saws and knives, his team hacked away to create this creepy scene right here, a zombie. Closeup right there of the zombies face. And the number catching our eye tonight, 9 billion. Thats how many of those little can can i corns will be made this halloween. The head of the factory telling us, the not so secret ingredient of candy corn, and this is a quote here, sugar, sugar and more sugar. Of course, the big question tonight, will halloween itself survive . Millions of children have their costumes ready. Well check back with sam in a moment, what this hurricane means for halloween. You should know that axiron is here. The only underarm treatment for low t. Thats right, the one you apply to the underarm. Axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. 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A lot of kids out there watching with their parents tonight, remembering last year this time, there was a snowstorm. Sam, is halloween ruined again this year . Reporter david, im standing here looking at the path, the expected track of this storm, that by wednesday is in western new york state, by friday, its all the way up to maine and also canada, so, anywhere from michigan to maine, to virginia, from wednesday all the way through thursday and into friday, were still seeing the affects of this storm, daichd, so, its not the best in those areas, certainly. All right, abcs sam champion is going to be on this all night long. First thing in the morning, the entire team on Good Morning America and of course, diane sawyer right here at the desk tomorrow night. Stay safe, everyone. Good night. Anncr its said that character is what we do. When we think no one is looking. Mitt romney believe that they are victims. Anncr mitt romney thought no one was looking when. He attacked fortyseven percent of americans. His plan cuts millionaires taxes, but raises yours. Hell voucherize medicare. And make catastrophic cuts to education. So remember what romney said. And what his plan would do. President obama im barack obama and. I approve this message