(JTA) — Jewish institutions throughout the eastern United States remained closed following the onslaught of superstorm Sandy.
Sandy, which was downgraded from a hurricane late Monday night, made landfall near Atlantic City Monday, with hurricane-force winds of up to 85 miles per hour and heavy rains.
At least 33 people in the United States and 68 outside of the U.S. have been killed so far in the one-of-a-kind storm, and more than 7 million people in 13 states are without power.
The UJA-Federation of New York posted a notice on its website that the building would be closed and all meetings and events canceled on Tuesday, and that information on Wednesday’s events would be posted Tuesday night. The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan also announced that it would be closed until it is safe to return.
In New York, public transportation shut down on Sunday night, and schools and offices in the city were scheduled to be closed. Low-lying areas of the city, including parts of southern Brooklyn and the Rockaways, were ordered evacuated. Wall Street also shut down Monday and Tuesday due to the weather.
Parts of Maryland, Delaware and the New Jersey Shore also were ordered evacuated.
In the Washington area, the public transportation system stopped on Monday, and schools, colleges and universities also closed due to expected power outages. Some already announced that they will remain closed Tuesday and possibly into Wednesday, according to The Washington Post.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and area day schools also closed Monday.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia also announced that it would be closed Monday and Tuesday and would resume operations on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, President Obama, who suspended campaigning to return to Washington to monitor the storm, declared a major disaster in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island.
Meanwhile, flights between Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and U.S. cities, including New York, Newark, N.J., and Philadelphia, on Tuesday were canceled for a second day.
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