**ALL SIKHS IN NORTH EAST AMERICA/CANADA PLEASE STAY SAFE AS ONE OF THE BIGGEST HURRICANES IN AMERICAN HISTORY APPROACHES FOLLOW ADVICE GIVEN BY THE AUTHORITIES,BE PREPARED TYAR BAR TYAR FOR ANY EVENTUALITY & REMAIN ARMED AS IS YOUR RIGHT PER LAW,AS WITH ALL DISASTERS MASS LOOTING & CRIME IS EXPECTED DURING & IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE HURRICANE...**
Hurricane Sandy: 'Frankenstorm' Heads For New York
Mayor Michael Bloomberg warns New Yorkers to prepare for a "massive" storm as Hurricane Sandy threatens the US East Coast.
Video: Superstorm Heads For US East Coast
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Satellite Track Of Hurricane Sandy
Video: Satellite Track Of Hurricane Sandy
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New York has called up 1,000 extra troops from the National Guard as "superstorm" Hurricane Sandy bears down on the city.
Heavy rain and strong winds have started lashing the northeast of the
US, with the public safety director of Atlantic City declaring that the
majority of his city is "underwater".As forecasters warn New York could bear the brunt of the one-of-a-kind storm - dubbed a "Frankenstorm" - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave last-minute advice to citizens before the "massive" hurricane hits.
He said around 3,000 people have reached 76 emergency public shelters around the city, with a combination of the storm surge, coastal flooding and a ferocious blizzard posing the greatest threat.
Sandy is on a collision course with two other weather systems leading to fears it could develop into one of the worst storms on record in the US.
Authorities are warning New York could be hit with an 11ft (3.3-metre) wall of water that could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial centre.
:: Live Updates on Hurricane Sandy
Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane, is currently about 380 miles (615km) southeast of New York City, with winds of about 85mph (140kph).
The centre of the storm is expected to come ashore on Monday night in New Jersey, meaning the worst of the storm surge could be in the northern part of that state and in New York City and on Long Island.
The massive storm, which is hundreds of miles across, is set to stay until at least mid-week, bringing hurricane winds, flooding rains and snow in the Appalachian mountains.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged residents to use common sense and stay indoors.
"The worst is still coming," he said.
Nearly the entire coastline of Staten Island has been evacuated. Parts of lower Manhattan, like Battery Park and Ground Zero, have also been evacuated amid the threat of flooding.
All US stock markets will be closed on Monday and possibly Tuesday, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange said, reversing an earlier plan that would have kept electronic trading going on Monday.
A state of emergency has already been declared in nine states - including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
In a statement from the White House, he told those affected "do not delay", if asked to evacuate from their homes ahead of a storm with "potentially fatal" consequences.
He said he was not worried about the impact of the crisis on the election and said: "This is going to be a big storm, a difficult storm, but the great thing about America is when we go through times like this we all pull together."
His election rival Mitt Romney announced he would cancelled planned campaign appearances on Monday night and throughout Tuesday as the nation's attention turns to the storm.
Airlines have cancelled more than 7,600 flights, with British Airways, Virgin and American Airlines have halted some departures to the eastern coat of the US.
As the hurricane approached the coast, rescuers have saved 14 crew members of HMS Bounty stranded on lifeboats near the eye of storm - but two remain missing.
Sandy was blamed for 69 deaths in the Caribbean before it began travelling northward parallel to the eastern seaboard.