♪ making news in america this morning. >> special coverage of hurricane sandy. a massive storm. it's spinning towards a landfall along the nation's most densely populated corridor. 50 million people feeling its effects. storm surge and a foot of rain in some places are set to submerge huge areas on the water. the fears that once the power goes out, the hardest in places will be in the dark for up to a week. the nation's largest city, new york, may as well be a ghost town this morning. pun transit, schools even the stock markets all closed. and away from the storm on a brighter note, a giant sweep for san francisco. the giants are world series champions for the second time in

just three seasons. good morning, everybody. only one story really to report today. we're going to begin with the danger and potential devastation from hurricane sandy. the massive storm is spinning straight toward the east coast, on track to be the worst case scenario. forecasters and millions of people in its path have feared. >> regular activities have already ground to a halt in much of the east. and it could be days or weeks before life begins to get back to normal. we'll get the latest forecast in a moment. but we go to abc's tahman bradley, in ocean city, marryland. i have to believe you've been warmer than now. >> reporter: yeah, it's been cold. right now, sandy is making miserable here in the

mid-atlantic. the mid-atlantic region is bracing for sandy. a slow-moving monster of unprecedented size and scope. the storm has brought transportation to a standstill throughout the region. united, delta, jetblue and us airways have shut down operations which will have a ripple effect. >> with cancellations in major hub cities that affects travelers all over the country. >> reporter: in new york citier where the biggest fear is the storm surge, all subway and bus transportation has been suspended. and hundreds of thousands of new yorkers have been ordered to evacuate from low-lying areas. >> if you don't evacuate, you're just putting your own life -- you're not just putting your own life in danger. you're also putting the lives of first responders who may have to come in and rescue you. >> reporter: stock markets will be closed monday and possibly tuesday. meanwhile, red cross workers are mobilizing across the country

and heading east. >> there's no telling what's going to happen. it could be quite a bit of devastation. a lot of flooding. >> got two freezers full of food right now. >> there's no use buying food right now, if the power goes out, you're stuck with that. you might as well stick with reality. >> what can you do, leave the country? >> reporter: thousands are in en route to the region to help prepare for power outages which could put millions in the dark for a week or more. >> it may take power companies time to clear trees or to put things back in place. >> sandy is forecast to make landfall tonight in new jersey. but the force of his storm with heavy rain and winds is already being felt, rob and paula. >> and tahman, i don't want to keep you out there any longer than i know you want to be. >> i appreciate that. >> yeah.

authorities always say, look, stay indoors, get out of harm's way. as far as you can tell, are folks heeding those warnings? >> yeah, you're hard pressed to find a lot of people out and about this morning. the evacuation order took place here in ocean city, marryland, yesterday. and the streets are clear. tens of thousands of people have left the coastal areas in the mid-atlantic. and officials are trying to make it difficult for people trying to wander about. actually, in delaware, the governor has shut down the roads, and so only emergency vehicles are on the streets this morning. >> all right. abc's tahman bradley reporting live in ocean city, maryland. not that you don't earn your paycheck, tahman, but more so today. >> oh, you know it. >> thank you. >> as tahman said, forecasters are warning that hurricane sandy poses an almost unprecedented threat colliding with cold air systems and with a full moon

which makes the tide even worse. >> call it the perfect storm. accuweather meteorologist mark mancuso is tracking it all. my, mark. >> good morning, guys. as we've seen here, this storm system is certainly something, it's a once in a lifetime type of storm here moving up the east coast. really, no big changes overnight. it's moving northward, going to take that sharp left-hand turn towards the jersey shore. arriving this evening. that's when the center of circulation comes in. rain pounding on the eastern shore of maryland, virginia. five inches of rain. philadelphia, south is going to be big problem. farther north, bands of rain and wind. a look at that storm surge coming in. morning high tide there see a surge around new york city. but tonight, the evening tide, big time problems here. historic flooding. old timers are going back to hurricane donna, that's how bad it is on jersey shore. historic for 15 feet. >> mark, two-part question here.

one, has the storm already started to make that left-hand turn towards the coast? and, two, we know different parts of the region are going to feel the storm differently. why is that? >> well, as we take a look at the storm here, there is a cold front that's pulling into the southwestern flank of it, and that is combining to give us a shield of steady, steady rain, already about five inches around ocean city here on the shore. from philadelphia itself down to d.c. it may see heavy rain and flooding. and new york city up towards boston, bands of heavy rain and wind coming in. more like a tropical system. the other side of the storm more like a severe storm. owe it's a two-inch storm but to the north and the center of circulation, that's when the devastation will be by new york city this evening. >> and you're expecting landfall in jersey, and beginning to see that turn towards the coast? >> yes, we're already starting to see it waddle up towards the north-northwest. we'll see that later on today.

>> mark mancuso, we appreciate that. and the superstorm is also forcing a major change in the presidential campaign. >> president obama is returning to the white house immediately after a florida appearance later this morning. he canceled a stop in ohio. meanwhile in new hampshire, ann romney canceled speaking engagements in derry and manchester due to the storm. they said the campaign buzz would be used for relief effort nsz the east. we'll have more on that in the half hour. it is time for the rest of the weather from across the nation. aside from sandy, a mild day from minneapolis to dallas, denver and southern california. stormy in the northwest but heavy rain from seattle to portland. downpours also expected in the cascades and the northern rockies. >> 60s in dallas and salt lake city. 74 in miami. 54 in atlanta. straight ahead on this special edition of "america this morning," thousands, and we're

talking thousands of flights across the nation have been canceled, stranding travelers from coast to coast. we're going to tell you how the airlines are coping with sandy next. and a tip of our hat to one of our own, standing undaunted as the storm raged along the north carolina coast. we'll be right back with more. stay with us. (;x;x;x;x;x

♪ those pictures only the beginning. welcome back, everybody. the economic effects of hurricane sandy will be felt today even outside the eastern seaboard. the new york financial markets will be closed today, even the online operations.

>> it is the first closure for weather in almost three decades. the last closing of any sort was for 9/11. there's been no decision yet on whether the markets will be open tomorrow. and the storm is also delaying several companies' earning reports. chief among them is pfizer. the pharmaceutical company instead will announce its results two days later. on thursday, investors will also have to wait to hear from several energy companies. sandy is bringing air travel to a virtual standstill in the east coast and impacting travelers across the country, even overseas, in fact. >> 7,000 flights has been canceled. more now from abc's lisa stark. >> reporter: at new york's laguardia airport, a madhouse as travelers scramble to get out before the storm comes in that in. >> we're trying to get back to raleigh, north carolina, and we're stuck. >> we're basically having almost nervous breakdowns. >> reporter: the airlines are

taking no chances starting to cancel flights from washington, d.c. northward. united, delta, southwest, america, jetblue and us airways, all announce they had 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 hurricane's path and hope they can slide back in on tuesday. train travel coming to a standstill. amtrak canceling trains north of new york and virtually all east coast service on monday. the best hope is that east coast flights will resume beginning tuesday. but once they start ramping up again, it will be a good three to four days before the airlines are up to normal. lisa stark, abc news, reagan national airport. >> our thanks to lisa for that report. and the usually noisy floors

of the atlantic casinos are quiet this morning. >> it's only the fourth time in new jersey that casinos have been forced to close. the city is on the barrier island, there are fears there that the waters from the ocean and the bay could actually merge. quiet times along the boardwalk. all right. when we come back this morning, sandy springs an october surprise on the presidential candidates. and congrats to the san francisco giants. they are reason to celebrate now that they are baseball champions once again. 5-hour energy supports the avon foundation for women breast cancer crusade. so i can get the energized feeling i need and support a great cause? i'm sold. pink lemonade 5-hour energy? yeah and a portion of every sale goes to the avon foundation for women breast cancer crusade.

i'm sold. new pink lemonade 5-hour energy. get the alert, energized feeling you need and support breast cancer research and access to care. with thermacare heatwraps. thermacare works differently. it's the only wrap with patented heat cells that penetrate deep to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles. for up to 16 hours of relief, try thermacare. i need all the help i can get. that's why i like nutella. mom, what's the capital of west virginia? charleston. nutella is a delicious hazelnut spread my whole family loves. mom, have you seen my -- backpack? nutella goes great on whole-wheat toast or whole-grain waffles. and its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. yeah, bye. have you seen my -- yes. and...thank you. [ male announcer ] nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. [ male announcer ] nutella. trying to find a better job can be frustrating. so at university of phoenix we're working with a growing

list of almost two thousand corporate partners - companies like microsoft, american red cross and adobe - to create options for you. not only that, we're using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum. so that when you find the job you want you'll be a perfect fit. let's get to work. to our kraft natural cheese to make it creamier. so whatever you make isn't just good, it's amazing. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've ♪ ♪ found ♪ well, there it is. hurricane sandy. its massive size and power about to cause havoc up and down the east coast. the ripple effects will be felt across the country. >> 900 miles from wing to wing,

tropical storm winds extend more than 500 miles in every direction from the eye of the storm, putting 50 million people in harm's way. almost difficult to really wrap your mind around how vast the storm is. >> its size and the surge along with it that's the real danger here. take a look now at some fascinating numbers connected to sandy. truly a superstorm. some 50 million people being threatened by the storm as it bears down on the country's most heavily populated region. and it's estimated $80 billion in properties are at risk. >> sandy's cloud cover is 2,000 miles wide, simply a massive storm system. its rain band to areas that will get wet in the storm is 800 miles long. and incredibly, some areas of west virginia could actually get two feet of heavy, wet snow, thanks to a new blizzard warning. they're also going to feel it monday night in the great lakes. >> it's amazing. the path of the storm. here's nasa's look at the storm from space.

clouds literally from the gulf of mexico all the way up to new england. as we note an area of cloud cover 2,000 miles wide. sandy, she's going to be around a while. and as we mentioned earlier, the storm has sent the presidential candidates scrambling, of course, to rearrange their already exhausting schedules. >> the long-lasting effects of sandy could remain an effect on the election. here's jonathan karl. >> reporter: it's mother nature's october surprise. a storm so big and so destructive it could throw the campaign's final week into chaos. >> the storm will throw a little havoc into the race. >> reporter: for president obama it meant canceling two events and visiting fema headquarters. >> we're going to cut through the red tape. we're not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules. we're going to make sure we're 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 in 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 that's coming. let's 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 you're thinking that your vote doesn't count, that it won't matter, well, back then, there were probably at least 537 people who felt the same way. >> reporter: and mitt romney has picked up the endorsement of two iowa newspapers that supported obama last time. one that hasn't 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 maryland and virginia. the superstorm has not stopped this campaign. mitt romney will be campaigning in three states on monday. and the president will be on the trail as well, campaigning in florida. jonathan karl, abc, marion, ohio. >> all right. some lighter news this morning, even the strength of sandy could not deny the san francisco giants their second world series crown in just three seasons. last night against the tigers, the giants, mr. clutch, marco scutaro delivered again, knocking in the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth inning. >> the final out came when a.l. winner triple crown winner mickey cabrera, oh, yeah, he was caught looking. and they call him panda was named the world series most valuable player. the city by the bay will honor

them with a parade on wednesday of this week. >> if you had to pick a coast to be on this morning, rather be out west. >> the west coast. as for sports and sandy, the storm has forced former nfl commissioner paul tagliabue to postpone a hearing he's going to oversee in the new orleans saints bounty case. >> and the nba said they have not seen any problems with the storm. but the storm did cause the boston celtics to fly through miami a day earlier with the game for the heat tomorrow. i'm sure being in miami a day earlier, not bad. >> not bad. coming up next, a segment we usually call "the pulse" but today, it's sandy-style. >> including our own intrepid correspondent matt gutman going toe to toe with sandy on the north carolina coast. the wheat in every mini-wheat has gotta be just right. perfect golden color. rich in fiber.

my dad taught me, and i taught my son out there. morning, pa. wait... who's driving the...? ♪ 99 bushels of wheat on the farm, 99 bushels of wheat ♪ [ male announcer ] yep, there's 8 layers of whole grain fiber in those mini-wheats® biscuits... to help keep you full... ♪ 45 bushels of wheat ...all morning long. there's a big breakfast... [ mini ] yee haw! ...in those fun little biscuits.

♪ all right. welcome back, everybody. here's some important information that our dr. richard besser wants to pass along to millions of you out there in the storm zone. first off, turn off major appliances but leave one light on so you know when the power eventually does come back on. also, stay away from fallen wires and down tree that may be near them. leave the cleanup to the professionals. also, operate generators safely and only according to manufacturer's directions. also, handle your food safely. spoiled food can make you pretty sick. finally, be a good samaritan, check on your neighbors, and particularly those with special needs.

>> with the water, make sure you have a backup supply of nonperishable foods. flash lights, all of that. >> new yorkers consider themselves a tough bunch. but sandy had. many making preparations. in manhattan's upper west side, what would a hurricane be of course without all of those sacks. >> then there's this guy making a mad dash in grand central. racing to get on the last train out heading to the connecticut suburbs. >> and when the trains were gone, here's what's left, the usually chaotic grand central floor completely empty, except for a few workers. the iconic hub closed, get this, only the second time in its history. and finally, when the storm rolls in, we always see the reporters out there strapling themselves to the mass. we give it to matt gutman standing in sandy's strong winds

yesterday in rhode island yesterday. you need advice from. that's why our pharmacists are trained to know just what you should take for your symptoms. they're here and ready to help before you try anything... too crazy. now walgreens pharmacists welcome express scripts members. you may stop by today for the service you trust. at the corner of happy and healthy.

[ coughs ] [ baby crying ] ♪ [ male announcer ] robitussin® liquid formula soothes your throat on contact and the active ingredient relieves your cough. robitussin®. don't suffer the coughequences™. on gasoline. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪ something this delicious could only come from nature. new nectresse. the 100% natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally.

straight ahead, giants fans take to the streets following world series win. latest on the wild celebration and affects being felt this morning. east coast braces for hurricane sandy. millions could be affected when the superstorm comes ashore. we'll look at the east coast and talk about our chances of rain on halloween. ne ripple effect is felt across the country. other weather across the country. mild day from minneapolis to dallas. it's all about sandy east of the mississippi. so nothing like like the doozie of the week, sandy could be around for a few days. all of us on the east coast got to get used to it.

>> we're going to close this special edition of "america this morning" with something a sign of the times. celebrities who have been weighing in on the storm via, what else? twitter. >> you'll love this one. lindsay lohan tweeted this instant classic. "why is everyone in such a panic about hurricane, i'm calling it sally. top projecting negativity. think positive and pray for peace." thank you, lindsay. and one of my favorites. kim kardashian. kim says she's back in miami, missing the storm. she says, i'm praying for everyone on the east coast. i hope everyone is safe. we hope you're safe by the beach too, there, kim. >> i'm glad she's praying for us. well, the jersey shore is supposed to get really pounded. what do regulars down there say? snooki tweeted waiting for this storm. with my boys. vinny said, i heard someone say

it best, we made 1 through 9/11. we can make it through anything. words of wisdom? >> from celebrities to the cast of "jersey shore." who knew the shore better than those guys. thank you for chiming in. >> what is lindsay calling it? sally? >> sally, yes. then she went back to her mensah meeting. stay tuned. for continuing coverage of sally, things are going to get worse for the next 10 to 12 hours. >> and there is full coverage coming up on "good morning america." make sure you keep it here, abc news on your tv, as well as online. we invite to you keep it here because the abc news extreme weather team is getting ready for "good morning america" which is coming up at 7:00. >> so much to cover. so many factors to play. the snow factor from the west. the clashing of these systems. so it's really going to be an historic day weatherwise for 50 to 60 million people on the coast. stay dry. have a safe one, everybody. we'll see you right back here tomorrow.