Jamaica back online after Sandy, Northeast braces for “Frankenstorm”

Saturday, 26 Oct, 2012 0

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy which battered the island earlier in the week, Jamaica and its tourism infrastructure is now slowly getting back to normal.

Jamaica’s two major airports, Norman Manley International Airport (KIN) located in Kingston and Sangster International Airport (MBJ) at Montego Bay have resumed flight service. All ports are open, including Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and the Historic Falmouth cruise port.

Sandy, however, is now moving toward Florida and weather forecasters say the storm is set to meet a cold front coming in from the West Coast to become a "Frankenstorm."

The term has been coined for the storm’s appearance at Halloween time but also for its monstrous potential. Expected to start battering the Eastern Seaboard on Monday with high winds and heavy rains, the storm potential includes snow and extends as far west as Ohio.

Although weather forecasters this morning were talking about a storm system that has weakened somewhat in the past several hours, they are still predicting outcomes of high winds, heavy rains and flooding at the very least.

New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg gave a press conference to say that the city was calmly prepared "What we are doing is we are taking the kind of precautions you should expect us to do, and I don’t think anyone should panic. The city has opened an emergency situation room and activated its coastal storm plan," Bloomberg said.

Travelers should be prepared for airport closures and flight cancellations in affected areas starting as early as Monday and perhaps lingering till after Tuesday. While airlines are likely to offer free re-scheduling, they are not legally required to pay for lodging or food due to delaysor cancellations because weather like the impending "Frankenstorm" is considered an "act of God."

UPDATE: 12:00 PM Friday: Bob Smerbeck, Expert Senior Meterologist at Accuweather.com says the storm is poised to be "historic" in its sweep and possible destructive potential. He says heavy rain and winds can extend as far as Boston and that storm systems can start pounding the New York/New Jersey area as early as Sunday. Watch our site for live updates coming for the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey on airport closures.

Gretchen Kelly

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