AUDIO: Jamaicans in New Jersey brace for Sandy

Debbie-Ann Wright, News Editor
The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre

Jamaicans on the East Coast of the United States are now bracing for the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy.

An intensified Hurricane Sandy is roaring up the US East Coast, threatening major floods and power cuts that could affect 60 million people.

Jamaican journalist in New Jersey, Carlyle McKetty, says Jamaicans are taking the hurricane warnings seriously but are not panicking.

The BBC has reported that hundreds of thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate New York City and New Jersey.

Public transport has been suspended in cities up the eastern seaboard and thousands of flights grounded.

The category one hurricane is expected to make landfall within the next few hours near New Jersey.

At the White House, President Barack Obama warned Americans in harm's way to follow emergency instructions.

The hurricane has forced Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to cancel up to two days of campaigning in the last full week of one of the closest presidential contests in recent US history.

While putting a severe limit on campaigning, the storm has given Obama the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the face of crisis.

On the other side, there is the risk that the federal government, as in past emergencies, could be faulted for an ineffective response.

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