27 October 2012 Last updated at 07:26 ET
US East Coast braced for downgraded storm Sandy
Low-lying coastal along Florida have already been hit by strong winds People along the East Coast of the US are preparing for the arrival of Sandy, a tropical storm which left more than 40 people dead across the Caribbean.
States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and a coastal county in North Carolina.
Sandy is no longer classified as a hurricane, but still carries maximum sustained winds of 70mph (110km/h).
The storm could strengthen before hitting the US late on Monday.
The US Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, was reportedly sending a whole fleet of ships out to sea to avoid possible damage caused as the storm hits land.
At 05:00 EDT (09:00 GMT), Sandy was about about 350 miles (565km) south-east of Charleston in South Carolina, and moving north away from the Bahamas at about 10mph (17km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center.
It is expected to move along the eastern coast of the US over the weekend, bringing a rise of coastal flooding.
The NHC said further strengthening was possible over Sunday, before Sandy touches down anywhere between Virginia and southern New England late on Monday or early Tuesday.
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"We're expecting a large, large storm," said Louis Uccellini, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Environmental Prediction.
"The circulation of this storm as it approaches the coast could cover about the eastern third of the United States."
The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has urged the city's residents to be prepared.
"If we have to make a mistake we would rather make a mistake on being cautious," he said.
But he said people should remain calm and that it was not yet necessary to make a decision about evacuations.
Officials are already considering closing down public transport before the storm hits.
There is concern that bad weather could affect next week's presidential elections, by causing power cuts, occupying media coverage or preventing people from getting to the polls.
Republican candidate Mitt Romney cancelled an event scheduled for Sunday in Virginia, a key election state, because of the weather, said one of his aides.
On Friday, the White House declined to speculate on whether President Barack Obama's campaign plans would be affected, saying the storm's path was still uncertain.
New Yorkers were urged to be ready for a possible large storm Meteorologists have warned Sandy could merge with a winter storm over the sea, creating what they have dubbed "Frankenstorm".
Up to 10in (25cm) of rain, 2ft of snow and extreme storm surges are forecast.
Forecasters say it is similar to another late October storm in 1991, when several weather systems, including a hurricane, combined along the US Atlantic coast, leading to what was dubbed the "Perfect Storm".
Earlier in the week, Sandy caused havoc as it ploughed across the Caribbean, killing 11 people in Cuba and at least 26 in Haiti. Four fatalities were reported across the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
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