The bodies of a 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old boy ripped from their mother’s arms by storm were found earlier today just 20 yards apart downstream from where they were taken. The mother was trying to escape her stalled SUV on a flooded road a few miles from their home.

The panicked woman ran to neighboring houses to get help finding the children but every homeowner told her they wouldn’t help search. The woman spent the night searching and had to be taken to the hospital with hypothermia when first responders found her the next day. Continue reading →

Below are a series of photos from various sources showing the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.  We at the Jim Bakker Show ask you to please pray for those impacted by the storm and if you are in a position to help please seek out those opportunities.  Now is the time for God’s people to be His hands and feet to those who are feeling lost and hopeless. Continue reading →

Dozens of babies and toddlers are safe, warm and alive thanks to the heroic efforts of the PICU and NICU staff at New York University Hospital.

Starting around 7 p.m. Monday night, water began to flood into the hospital’s basement and elevator shafts. The water reached 10 to 12 feet within 45 minutes and the power went out to the hospital. Continue reading →

A neighborhood that was hit by a freak tornado in September suffered another blow when a fire triggered by downed power lines destroyed close to 100 homes. More than 190 firefighters contained the blame after nine hours.

The firefighters sometimes had to wade through waist deep water to fight the blaze as storm surges slammed the neighborhood. Continue reading →

Hurricane Sandy roared into Atlantic City, New Jersey at 6:45 eastern time with sustained winds of 90 m.p.h. Two hours later the eye of the storm was 15 miles northwest of the city with sustained winds of 80 m.p.h. according to NBC New York.

The National Hurricane Center now classifies the storm as a “post-tropical cyclone” and was losing tropical characteristics as the storm joins other cells to make a giant nor’easter. The storm still contains hurricane force winds however meteorologists are saying the storm’s worst was “over.”  Some weather services are now calling Sandy a “super storm.”

Three people have been confirmed dead. Two were killed by falling trees and a third was killed when their car hydroplaned as they tried to cross high water. More deaths are expected in the wake of the storm. Continue reading →

The Jim Bakker Show is tracking Hurricane Sandy as it descends on the East Coast of the U.S.  We will post updated storm tracks and maps.  We will post the most current updates just below the maps as the storm progresses.  The updates will continue to be posted at the top of the column with a time stamp to note the update.

3:30pm Central Time October 30…we are closing our running updates.  We will have news posted in our Sandy section for the next few days.  Thank you for staying with us.  As of this moment, we are preparing a live taping of the Jim Bakker Show which will address Superstorm Sandy.  We invite you to watch the live stream.

Update (3:08 p.m.) Sandy’s remnants are hitting eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania causing massive waves on Lake Erie.  This photo was taken by FoxNews near Cleveland:

Update (2:57 p.m.) Over 200 people who ignored the mandatory evacuation orders on New Jersey’s border islands have been rescued by emergency personnel.  However, rescue efforts are being ended for the day as darkness starts to descend.  Many islands have no power and no drinkable water.

Update (2:29 p.m.) New York’s JFK Airport is anticipated to re-open at some point tomorrow according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. LaGuardia, however, is expected to remain closed to what the governor called “extensive damage.”   JetBlue airlines tweeted this photo from one of their gates at LaGuardia:

Update (2:08 p.m.) U.S. Rep. Bob Turner, R-New York, is one of the 100 people to lose their homes in a fire in the Breezy Point section of Queens, New York.  “Last night’s storm showed once again that the professionalism and bravery of our first responders is second to none. I want to commend the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday in order to keep others safe,” Turner said.

Update (1:33 p.m.) Shoeshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia is showing the other side of Superstorm Sandy; the severe blizzard.

Update (1:19 p.m.) New York Stock Exchange announces they will reopen tomorrow.

Update (1:10 p.m.) Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer says half the city is underwater.  “The Hudson River came in and filled half of Hoboken like a bathtub,” she told reporters.

Update (12:57 p.m.) Brooklyn’s Battery Tunnel is still flooded with 12 feet of water.

Update (12:32 p.m.) Chagrin River in northeast Ohio is flooding and washing boats into Lake Erie.

Update (12:26 p.m.) CNN reports the neighborhood that lost close to 100 homes from a fire sparked during last night’s storm is the same one struck by a tornado in September.

Update (12:11 p.m.) Red Cross is reporting a blood shortage throughout the region as over 300 donation centers and drives were closed from the storm.

Update (11:34 a.m.) Photo of a flooded taxi lot in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Update (11:32 a.m.) Confirmed U.S. death toll now 33.

Update (10:56 a.m.) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that the amusement pier at Seaside Park on the Jersey Shore has suffered catastrophic damage.  The roller coaster and log plume rides are in the ocean. 

Update (10:54 a.m.) Blizzard conditions in West Virginia due to the storm have left 250,000 without power and the number is rising and heavy, wet snow is snapping tree limbs and power lines. 

Update (10:41 a.m.) Confirmed U.S. death toll now 21.

Update (10:29 a.m.) Confirmed U.S. death toll now 18.

Update (10:23 a.m.) Little Ferry, New Jersey becomes the second small city in the state to be overwhelmed by flood waters from the Hackensack River when a levee fails.

Update (10:16 a.m.) New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has told reporters that at least 80 homes in Queens were destroyed by a fire as a result of the storm.

Update (9:50 a.m.) AMTRAK reports they are assessing damage to their rail lines and will announce later today when they anticipate restarting routes suspended due to the storm.

Update (9:36 a.m.) CNN reports 7.5 million without power in 15 states.  National Weather Service in West Virginia has reports of two feet of snow on the ground with the snowfall continuing…

Update (9:13 a.m.) NASA released a photo of Sandy still over the northern U.S.:

Update (9:06 a.m.) The confirmed death toll from the storm in the US and Canada is now 17.

Update (8:55 a.m.) Either a levee break or an overflow of a river has flooded the entire town of Moonachie, New Jersey, population 2,700.  The police chief said all the town’s streets “flooded within 45 minutes” of the flood waters overflowing the banks.

The maps below are the last ones issued by the National Weather Service for the storm.  We are no longer placing updates below the maps as they are now for archival purposes only.

This map tracks the projection of tropical storm level sustained winds (39 m.p.h.) as the storm makes landfall:

This map tracks the total amount of rainfall predicted to fall before the end of the storm.  This DOES NOT include totals of rain already fallen:

Update (8:45 a.m.) Con Edison says it will take 7-10 days to fully restore power in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

Update (11:59 p.m.) 12 confirmed dead after Pennsylvania State Police report finding an elderly man who had been crushed by a falling tree.  New York’s Bellevue Hospital Center has a flooded basement but generators remain operative.

Update (11:47 p.m.) CNN now confirms over 5.3 million people are without power along the Eastern Seaboard.

Update (11:40 p.m.) Record rainfall at Philadelphia International Airport.  2.36 inches of rain blows away the almost 50 year old record of 1.72 inches.

Update (11:34 p.m.) Over 3 million confirmed without power throughout the Northeast.

Update (11:27 p.m.) New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg states on twitter: “Storm surge peaked at 13.88 ft at the Battery. Now 9.81 ft & going down. Power outages and other serious issues remain.”  Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker tweets asking residents to stay off streets through tomorrow.

Update (11:19 p.m.) Half of the city of Hoboken, New Jersey is underwater according to Mayor Dawn Zimmer.   Two of the city’s fire stations have had to be abandoned due to flooding.

Update (11:14 p.m.) The first Canadian casualty from the storm reported.  A woman was struck and killed by flying debris in Toronto.

Update (11:08 p.m.) CNN reporting that flooding and storm winds are hampering the NYFD from reaching a fire at Coney Island Hospital.

Update (10:57 p.m.) The center of the superstorm is 10 miles southwest of Philadelphia and moving northwest at 18 m.p.h.

Update (10:45 p.m.) The buoy at the head of New York Harbor reached 32.5 feet according to the National Weather Service, topping the record of 26 feet from Hurricane Irene in August 2011.

Update (10:38 p.m.) At least 11 confirmed dead from Superstorm Sandy.

Update (10:31 p.m.) New York Mayor Bloomberg reports a large number of fires in Lower Manhattan because of downed power lines.

Update (10:26 p.m.) CONFIRMED: Generators at New York University Hospital fail.  215 patients being rushed to other hospitals but only 30 ambulances are available.  The Pediatric ICU and Neo-natal ICU are taking patients down stairs from the 9th floor of the building.

Update (10:22p.m.) Unconfirmed reports that New York University Hospital’s backup generators failed and patients from the NICU are being rushed to other hospitals.  Working to confirm.

Update (10:11p.m.) Storm track and tropical storm wind maps updated.

Update (10:08p.m.) National Weather Service reports that Sandy “still has hurricane force winds.”

Update (9:46p.m.) Twin Towers construction site overrun with flood waters (photo from Associated Press):

Update (9:41 p.m.) NYPD’s 60th Precinct evacuated after a wall partially collapses.  No injuries reported but officers are being forced to relocate to other precincts.

Update (9:38 p.m.) All New York area airports closed and facing flooding.  Philadelphia International Airport cancels flights for tomorrow due to storm.  All Philadelphia and New York public transportation shut down.

Update (9:34 p.m.) Man and woman killed in Mendham Township, New Jersey when tree falls on their vehicle; two children in vehicle survive with minor injuries.

Update (9:29 p.m.) The East River is now flooding the New York subway system.  Spokesman says it’s “too early to tell” how much damage has been caused.  Pumps are being used to try and clear the tunnels.

Update (9:23 p.m.) Rubina Fillion of the Wall Street Journal tweeted a picture of what’s being sent to New York City residents from the city government:

Update (9:18 p.m.) Confirmed death toll from the storm now 10.

Update (9:13 p.m.) Con Edison spokesman reports that everything “below 39th Street” is dark as flood water overwhelmed substations.  At least 250,000 people impacted by this outage alone.

Update (9:12 p.m.) Record high water levels recorded in New York’s Battery Park & Battery Park Tunnel (CNN).

Update (8:58 p.m.) Associated Press releases photo of a darkened and flooded New York:

Update (8:56 p.m.) National Hurricane Center maps updated.

Update (8:21 p.m.) A section of Atlantic City’s boardwalk has been  washed away. The Hudson River has breached the Sea Walls of Lower Manhattan. More than 3 million customers remain without power across 15 states.

Update (7:59 p.m.) Con Edison in New York shuts off power to Manhattan in an effort to “to protect company equipment and customers and to allow for quicker restoration after Hurricane Sandy passes.”

Update (7:53) Storm surge reaches record breaking 13 feet.

Update (7:49 p.m.) New York’s Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is flooding.

Update (7:10 p.m.) Water is breaching the runways at Laguardia Airport.

Update (7:05 p.m.) Geologists say storm may trigger landslides in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Update (7:03 p.m.) Tropical Storm force winds extending nearly 500 miles from storm’s center.

Update (6:58 p.m.) Police rescue 14 people on Fire Island, NY.

Update (6:55 p.m.) Water level in downtown Manhattan reaches record 11.25 feet.

Update (6:14 p.m.) Storm surge expected to be 6 – 11 feet in Long Island

Update (6:12 p.m.) At least 2 feet of water rushing down Washington Ave. in Point Pleasant, NJ

Update (6:11 p.m.) Sandy no longer a hurricane.  Is now called a “super storm” with increased winds.  Now combined with a northern storm. Landfall will coincide with 8:15 high tides – absolutely the worst case scenario

Update (6:10 p.m.) Hurricane will officially make landfall in about an hour. 40,000 people in the Ocean City, Maryland area have lost power.

Update (6:03 p.m.) Grand Central Station and Times Square subway stations closed

Update (5:57 p.m.) Sandy moving quickly toward Southern New Jersey and Delaware. Landfall expected early this evening accompanied by life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds.

Update (5:42 p.m.): Hurricane Sandy barged ashore in southern New Jersey just after 6 p.m. Eastern, bringing 90-mph winds.

UPDATE (5:10 p.m.): 10,000 flights grounded in the Northeast.  –  State of emergency in 8 states. 80 million people affected.

UPDATE (4:55 p.m.): Vermont officials report over 12,000 residents already without power and the storm is just now reaching the state.

UPDATE (4:49 p.m.): New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie has suspended evacuation operations in the state and said that landfall of the hurricane’s eye is expected on Atlantic City in just over an hour.

UPDATE (4:35 p.m.):  National Hurricane Center has lifted the tropical storm warnings for the state of North Carolina as the storm passes but calls the situation “hazardous” and warns residents to remain cautious.

UPDATE (4:20 p.m.):  Rueters shows flooding on U.S. Highway 30 heading toward Atlantic City:

UPDATE (4:01 p.m.):  Atlantic City reportedly flooded according to CNN.