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Hurricane Sandy shuts down UN headquarters and New York Stock Exchange

29 October 2012 09:08 (UTC +04:00)

Washington. New-Hampshire. Victoria Dementeva â€“APA. Hurricane Sandy can be the biggest storm ever hit the US. APAâ€™s special correspondent from the US reports that the transit systems and schools have been closed in the region. According to meteorologists, the hurricane will hit Washington and New-York. All residents of the coastal areas of New York City have already been evacuated due to the possibility of flood.

The UN headquarters was closed, due to the storm threat. New York Stock Exchange will be closed for the first time after Hurricane Gloria in 1985. Only electronic trading will be available on NYSE. Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney cancelled their trips within the election campaign due to the hurricane.

Visiting the federal storm-response headquarters in Washington, Obama warned East Coast residents to prepare for a "serious and big" storm that will be slow-moving and might take time to clear up. But he vowed the government would "respond big and respond fast" after it strikes.

According to initial reports, Hurricane Sandy caused the death of 66 people in the Caribbean.