Updates: Sandy's Catastrophic Impacts on the Northeast

Sunday (Oct. 28) updates on Sandy:

12:00 noon EDT: New York Governor Cuomo announced that the orderly suspension of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service will begin at 7 p.m. EDT, Sunday.

12:00 noon EDT: New York Mayor Bloomberg announced city schools are closed on Monday and ordered evacuations of some low-lying areas in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens.

11:00 a.m. EDT: A storm surge of up to 5.5 feet was flooding neighborhoods on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Multiple roads were under water.

10:30 a.m. EDT: Moderate coastal flooding was occurring near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in the Norfolk, Virginia area. Minor coastal flooding was already occurring along portions of the New Jersey coast at time of high tide.

9:30 a.m. EDT: Seas of 30 feet continue off the coast of the Carolinas. Seas were between 10 and 15 feet off the coast of New Jersey and Long Island and building.

9:24 a.m. EDT: Winds were gusting to 48 mph in Virginia Beach, Va., to 37 mph in Ocean City, Md., and to 36 mph in Atlantic City, N.J. with Sandy still hundreds of miles away.

9:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy is racking up rainfall. So far, Hatteras, N.C. has received 5.19 inches with 1.76 inches in Newport News, Va. A zone of heavy rain was developing farther north from the Maryland eastern shore to eastern Pennsylvania.

6:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy is a truly massive storm on satellite. One of, if not the largest tropical cyclone to ever develop in the Atlantic basin.

5:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy holds serve. Still a hurricane. Headed on a crash course with New Jersey.

4:00 a.m. EDT: Rainfall from Sandy reaches Philadelphia.

2:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy still a hurricane with winds at 75 mph. Pressure hovering around 960mb.

 

Saturday (Oct. 27) updates on Sandy:

 

11:00 p.m. EDT: repeated 54 mph gusts at the alligator river bridge in far eastern NC.

8:29 p.m. EDT: Ferry service to Oracoke, North Carolina was suspended and people are reported stranded.

7:52 p.m. EDT: Rodanthe, N.C. on Hatteras Island already experiencing ocean overwash.

7:29 p.m. EDT: Delaware declared a state of emergency and has begun limited mandatory evacuations in preparation for Sandy's approach.

6:58 p.m. EDT: Amtrak is canceling some service for Sunday. Routes in Va., D.C., and N.Y. are affected, according to the Amtrak Facebook

6:16 p.m. EDT: Ferry service for Cherry Point, N.C. has been suspended, according to a spotter.

6:00 p.m. EDT: New York Mayor Bloomberg spoke during a press conference at 6 p.m. EDT Saturday. He said, "We will make an announcement tomorrow in the middle of the day on whether or not to close mass transit." Bloomberg also said that people needing public transportation should travel to their destinations by 7 p.m. EDT Sunday.

5:36 p.m. EDT: A local emergency manager in North Carolina reported a tree down and blocking one lane of a road near Bolivia.

5:00 p.m. EDT: The center of Hurricane Sandy with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph was located about 335 miles east-southeast of Charleston, S.C.

4:00 p.m. EDT: Winds over 40 mph are hitting the North Carolina coast along with heavy rains. Radar shows high winds spreading across the North Carolina coast.

3:00 p.m. EDT: Computer model that was showing a farther south track into the Delmarva is now bringing Sandy into central New Jersey, lining up with the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center's track.

2:03 p.m. EDT: Hurricane Sandy recently produced a wind gust of 76 mph (Category 1 hurricane force) about 140 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Fla.

1:46 p.m. EDT: AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson stated, "Strongest winds headed to the corridor from Baltimore to Philadelphia to New York City will be coming in from the north-northwest to east direction; keep that in mind when parking your car near large trees."

12:40 p.m. EDT: Tropical storm-force wind gusts reach the North Carolina coast. Highest wind gust reported so far today was 40 mph at Cherry Point, N.C.

12:35 p.m. EDT: AccuWeather.com's Mark Mancuso gives his expert analysis on Hurricane Sandy.

12:25 p.m. EDT: AccuWeather.com meteorologists just held a discussion on Hurricane Sandy and have pinned down its landfall site to central or southern New Jersey Monday evening. However, it should be stressed that the worst of the storm will occur ahead of its center.

11:20 a.m. EDT: The wind field of Hurricane Sandy is extremely large with tropical storm-force winds extending 450 miles away from its center.

11:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy has changed little in strength in the past three hours with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The center of Sandy is located about 355 miles southeast of Charleston, S.C.

10:33 a.m. EDT: Winds gusted to 38 mph, just shy of minimal tropical storm strength, at Cherry Point, N.C.

9:57 a.m. EDT: Evidence that Hurricane Sandy is a large storm: Charleston, S.C., and Bermuda are seeing from Sandy despite being separated by 900 miles.

9:30 a.m. EDT: AccuWeather.com meteorologists are now concerned that all of Delaware, southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania--including Philadelphia--will be inundated with more than 8 inches of rain from Sandy.

8:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy regains hurricane strength after weakening briefly to a tropical storm.

 

Local News Briefs

One-mile stretch of SR 39 closed for structure replacement

PULASKI COUNTY - Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Superior Construction has closed SR 39 between CR 300 N and CR 200 N as of Monday, June 16.

SR 39 will be closed for approximately five weeks for a small structure replacement. Motorists should seek alternate routes. The official detour will follow SR 14, U.S. 421 and SR 10.

Pulaski County GOP caucus June 21 to fill county council vacancy

The Pulaski County Republican Party has issued a notice that it will hold a caucus at 9:15 a.m., Saturday, June 21, to fill a vacancy on the county council. The caucus will be held at the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac.

Party chairman Kenneth Boswell reports Dist. 3 councilman Jerry Locke has resigned effective June 30. A former county commissioner, Locke joined the council in July 2022 to fill a vacancy. He was then elected to a four-year term in November that year. His successor will fill the remainder of that term through 2026.

Circus comes to town June 17

Save on pre-sale tickets

WINAMAC - The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus is coming to Winamac Tuesday, June 17, at the Winamac Town Park for two shows, the first starting at 5:30 p.m., and the second beginning at 7 p.m. Each show lasts about an hour and a half.

The event is sponsored by the Winamac Kiwanis Club.

Pulaski County Farmers Market open for 2025 season

Pulaski County Farmers Market is open for the summer season with a weekly location in Winamac.

The Market features fresh produce, plus, local meats, maple syrup, honey, eggs, baked goods, sweet treats, cut flowers and coffee. The market will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Saturdays June through September, on Main Street in front of the courthouse in Winamac.

Francesville ‘Family Fun in Park’ June 28

FRANCESVILLE – The Uptown Project, in partnership with West Central Youth League, will sponsor its “Family Fun in the Park,” from 6 p.m. to sunset, Saturday, June 28.

The public is welcome to join in for a fun evening of fellowship at the Francesville Town Park.

 

Indiana News

4C Health purchases Curtis Building from PMH

PERU - 4C Health is marking its 50th year in business with an exciting development for Pulaski County operations with the purchase of the Curtis Building from Pulaski Memorial Hospital.

The building is located north of Winamac, just off U.S. 35, at 2418 Curtis Drive.

Yakym surprises 'Hoosier Heroes' with Congressional records

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 27) –Congressman Rudy Yakym honored two local first responders Tuesday recognizing their “exceptional service and commitment to their communities.”

Pulaski County Deputy Christopher Parish and Culver Community Police Chief Ryleigh Carr received entries into the Congressional Record.

Young, colleagues address shortage of mental health providers in schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 27) – U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) reintroduced the Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act to address the shortage of mental health providers in schools by boosting the pipeline of graduate students trained to become school psychologists, counselors, and social workers.

“Access to mental health resources improves the safety, well-being, and academic success of Hoosier students,” said Sen. Young. “Our bill will both support the school-based mental health workforce and address the critical need for these professionals.”

Pulaski County unemployment rate drops to 2.4% in April

Pulaski County's unemployment rate dropped to 2.4 percent in April, down from 3.1 percent in March, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported Thursday, (May 22). The rate was 3.1 percent a year ago.

The county had 6,777 employed persons in a labor force of 6,943 in April. In March those numbers were 6,753 of 6,967. A year ago the numbers were 6,388 of 6.591.

 

Post News

County residents invited to Broadband Community Conversation July 8

 Pulaski County stakeholders are leading an effort to develop a comprehensive Broadband plan for the county.

This plan will identify existing conditions, needs and gaps in high-speed internet (broadband) service within the county; set a long-term vision for broadband service; and provide actionable steps and implementation guidelines for broadband service.

Local nurses form Honor Guard to pay tribute to fallen colleagues

WINAMAC - In 2023, a group of retired and active nurses, with the help of Pulaski Memorial Hospital, created a Nursing Honor Guard to assist families in honoring the compassion and dedication of nurses who have passed away - and celebrating their lives and service.

The Nursing Honor Guard is modeled after traditional military honor guards and pays tribute to the deeply personal and meaningful calling of the nursing profession.

CFoPC awards$17,000 to community organizations

The Community Foundation of Pulaski County (CFoPC)  announced Thursday (June 5) $17,000 has been awarded in grants to four local nonprofits and community organizations.

The Foundation works to strengthen the community through funding, convening and fostering collaboration among nonprofits to amplify their impact.

Winamac Community HS presents 2025 senior awards

WINAMAC - Winamac Community High School has announced its 2025 Senior Awards winners, honoring graduates for various academic and athletic awards, and scholarships.

The awards were presented at the annual Senior Awards program Friday evening (May 30).

Winamac Community HS 2025 commencement exercises held June 1

Senior photos featured

WINAMAC - Commencement exercises for the Class of 2025 at Winamac Community High School were held Sunday June 1, at the high school gymnasium.

Diplomas were presented to 81 seniors.