Superstorm Baby Sophie Deborah: Miraculous Birth to Australian Couple

NEW YORK (Wed, Oct 31) – Reported by madn3wz

 

Superstorm Baby Sophie Deborah: Miraculous Birth to Australian Couple

 

Miracles do happen even in right the middle of storm even as big as the latest superstorm Sandy. Newly-born Sophie Deborah has proved it with her arrival in this world, when everybody else around her mother was running away to get safe from deadly Frankenstorm Sandy.

Little Sophie Bertouch couldn't have chosen a more dramatic time to enter the world, as New York was lashed by the worst storm to hit United States.

According to details; the 31-year-old Australian woman Sally Bertouch was staying with her husband James at a hotel close to NY Langone hospital when she went into labor just before the Sandy struck New York. The couple was evacuated to Mount Sinai hospital, when NYU hospital lost the backup power source, and eventually Sally gave birth to a baby girl named Sophie Deborah.

Father James Bertouch said staff at NYU hospital gave Sally an epidural by flashlight as the windows rattled due to high speed winds striking against the hospital building.

The Herald Sun reported that the couple had booked a hotel close to their hospital as a precaution when they were told their home fell into the evacuation zone. On the night of the storm the hotel was one of the few places still open. Every building was sandbagged.

After 12 hours of labouring at the hotel, the couple found a cab to take them 10 blocks to the New York Langone hospital.

After further four hours of labor in the middle of a superstorm, they lost the power completely and the doctors were forced to do an epidural by torchlight. They used stethoscopes to monitor the baby and Sally.

The couple had to evacuate right in the middle of dark night, making it even horrible with one of the biggest storm around. But thankfully, safe from the storm and with the lights on, baby Sophie Deborah was born at 10.30am today, New York time.

 

Report Tags:

Sophie Deborah, Superstorm, Superstorm Baby, James Bertouch, Sally, Miracle BabySOURCE:

Herald Sun

Sandy's aftermath (Painful Video): NYU Langone Medical Center evacuated due to power outage

NEW YORK (Wed, Oct 31) – Reported by madn3wz

Sandy's aftermath: NYU Langone Medical Center evacuated due to power outage

Shattered medical staff worked through the night to evacuate NYU's Langone Medical Center after substantial swamping from Superstorm Sandy caused the hospital to lose not only normal supply of electricity, but backup power generator was also failed for some unknown reasons.

A stream of ambulances was seen towards downtown hospitals to aid in evacuation of Tisch Hospital NYU Langone Medical Center. The hospital lost power needed to care for 215 patients when their backup generators fail. They are still investigating the cause of failure. Patients were carried down 18 flights of stairs by nurses and other paramedical staff of the hospital.

Ambulances came from around the city to help transport the patients, which were hurried to other hospitals including Mount Sinai and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer.

 

Doctors and nurses first moved the sickest and youngest patients. Some were on respirators operating on battery power.

 

Among more than 200 patients evacuated there were 20 babies from the neonatal intensive care unit. Because the hospital's respirators for infants do not have backup batteries, each of the infants required extra attention from nurses at the hospital.

 

At least four babies had to be carried to a waiting ambulance down nine flights of stairs while a nurse "breathed" for the infant by manually squeezing a bag to drive oxygen into the lungs.

Watch video of evacuation below:

 

Superstorm Sandy left destruction: U.S. death toll rises to 48, total 118

NEW YORK (Wed, Oct 31) – Reported by madn3wz

 

Superstorm Sandy left destruction: U.S. death toll rises to 48, total 118

 

The despair of Superstorm Sandy’s destruction raised Tuesday as millions along the U.S. East Coast were deprived of power or mass transit, and enormous strips of New York City remained weirdly discreet. The U.S. death toll climbed to at least 48, many of the victims killed by falling trees, while the rescue operation is on.

New York was among the worst affected in terms of death toll and financial loss, with its financial heart closed for a second day consecutively.   Sandy killed 18 people only in New York City, while three were reported dead in New Jersey, three in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, two in Connecticut, two in Virginia, one in West Virginia. It also killed 69 people in the Caribbean before making its way up the Eastern Seaboard.  At least one death in Canada was attributed to the storm taking the total death toll to 118.

Superstorm Sandy, also dubbed as Frankenstrom, caused the worst damage in the 108-year history of the New York’s subway system, and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it could be four or five days before the biggest U.S. transit system would be operative again. It also left at least 8.2 million people without power and an undetermined number evacuated from their homes, especially from low-lying areas.

Airlines cancelled more than 18,000 flights worldwide. New York City’s three major airports remained closed, however, authorities announced that John F Kennedy International Airport in New York and Newark International Airport in New Jersey will reopen at 7 am Wednesday with limited service. However, New York's LaGuardia Airport will remain closed. 

Rick Knabb, the Director at National Hurricane Center, said in a midday conference call with reporters that Sandy's sway along the U.S. East Coast had diminished, but flooding of 2-4 feet was likely in some areas at high tide and wind speeds were "fairly strong" as far west as Lake Michigan.

 

Knabb said further power disruption could occur Tuesday and "it will take well into [Wednesday] for all of the weather to clear out of the United States."

 

He said river flooding will be a risk over a large area, particularly in the New Jersey-New York area, because "there is still a lot more rain that could fall."

Superstorm Sandy killed 16 in U.S., more than 7.5 million deprived of electricity

NEW YORK (Tue, Oct 30) – Reported by madn3wz

 

Superstorm Sandy killed 16 in U.S., more than 7.5 million deprived of electricity

 

As per the latest figures; the death toll in the United States reached 16 as Superstorm Sandy continued to cause mayhem. Meanwhile, one death was also reported from Canada.

The Frankenstorm Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the U.S. The deadly Hurricane Sandy has also left more than 7.5 million people without electricity.

 

 

 

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says backup power has been lost at New York University hospital and the city is working to move people out. Bloomberg was talking in a news conference Monday night and said rain was pointed off in the city and the storm outpouring was expected to withdraw by midnight. The hospital complex is near the East River in an area of lower Manhattan where flooding has been reported.

The 16 deaths were reported in the states of New Jersey, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Some of the victims were killed by falling trees. One person also killed in Canada due to storm.

More than 1 million people across a dozen states were under orders to evacuate as the gigantic system continued to digger westward.

Sandy, which was especially imposing because of its wide-raging winds, brought a record surge of almost 14 feet (4.2 meters) to downtown Manhattan, well above the previous record of 10 feet (3 meters) during Hurricane Donna in 1960, the National Weather Service said.

Frankenstorm Sandy Lashes New York -- Live coverage, video and photos

NEW YORK (Mon, Oct 29) – Reported by madn3wz

Frankenstorm Sandy Hits New York

New York, the biggest city of United States, chocked for Hurricane Sandy as forecasters said the Hurricane Sandy – also referred as super storm and Frankenstorm -  gained the strength and was raging toward the New York region, packing high winds and rain and a gigantic wall of water that could as high as 11 feet.

As reported by the Weather Channel; Hurricane Sandy is starting to move faster and could make landfall in New Jersey as early as 5 p.m. ET Monday.

The storm has regained the strength as it heads along the Eastern Seaboard threatening some 50-60 million habitants, many who have evacuated coastal cities. Only From New York City more than 375,000 evacuations have been ordered by Mayor Michael Bloomberg towards the 72 evacuation centers which had been set up around the city in schools and community centers.

According to latest updates; Sandy is heading as a strong Category 1 storm carrying winds measured at 90 mph. Wind gusts were reported as high as 115 mph.

 

Massive companies like Google, Apple and Amazon host their servers in specialist 'farms' - many of which are based in Virginia and areas at risk from the 'Frankenstorm'. 

 

U.S. President Barack Obama has already declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and promised the government would "respond big and respond fast" after the storm hits.

 

 

 

U.S. President Barack Obama has already declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and promised the government would "respond big and respond fast" after the storm hits.

See more photos as Sandy hits NYC, HERE.

Watch another video captured by a New Yorker, MrsShawtiie, from her window and uploaded on YouTube just an hour ago. Link is given below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2wf5AgWHeM

Live coverage of the Frankenstorm Sandy, HERE.

 

 

 

Super Storm Sandy: Mass evacuation ordered, subway and schools closures in New York City

NEW YORK (Sun, Oct 28) – Reported by madn3wz

 

Super Storm Sandy: Mass evacuation ordered, subway and schools closures in New York City

 

 

The ‘Frankenstorm’ Sandy is set to be unmatched in size once it hits the U.S. mainland Monday night. According to government forecasters on Sunday; the projected surge of Hurricane Sandy is a “worst case scenario” with shocking waves and tides forecasted for the thickly populated New York City metro area.

 

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered the evacuation of 375,000 people threatened by Hurricane Sandy in low-lying areas, like Manhattan and the Rockaways, towards the 72 evacuation centers which had been set up around the city in schools and community centers.

 

"This is a serious and dangerous storm," Bloomberg told a news conference on Sunday as he ordered the mandatory evacuation ahead of the storm, which is expected to start hitting on Monday.

 

Forecasters said Sandy is set to morph into "super storm," as the tropical storm merges with a winter storm and a cold front, intimidating up to 12 inches of rainfall in some areas and heavy snow inland.

 

"We're looking at impact of greater than 50 to 60 million people," says Louis Uccellini, head of environmental prediction for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

 

"The time for preparing and talking is about over," Federal Emergency Management administrator Craig Fugate warned as a monster Hurricane Sandy headed up the Atlantic Coast on a collision course with two other weather systems. "People need to be acting now."

 

The massive storm also threatens to bring a near halt to air travel for two days in a key region for both domestic and international flights. Subway, bus and train services will also be suspended from 7pm local time and hundreds of flights into the city's airports have been rerouted or cancelled.

 

New York's public transport system is America's largest. The subway alone has more than five million passengers in every single day.

 

The New York Stock Exchange will close its trading floor on Monday, but trading will continue electronically.

 

Furthermore, all of the city's public schools have been closed that will affect 1.1 million school going kids in New York City.

 

Report Tags:

 

hurricane sandy, Sandy, Frankenstorm, Michael Bloomberg, U.S. East Coast, super storm, Sandy Super Storm, tropical cyclone, hurricane

VIDEO: Massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Canada, prompted tsunami warning for Hawaii

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Sun, Oct 20) – Reported by madn3wz

 

Massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Canada, prompted tsunami warning for Hawaii

 

The U.S. state of Hawaii is on high alert after tsunami warnings prompted by massive earthquake struck off western Canada on Saturday evening. Authorities have ordered for the evacuation of at least 100,000 people on the island state to move to higher ground.

 

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of Canada, with no immediate reports of damages.

 

Earlier, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned a tsunami was heading towards Hawaii, while the Hawaii-based center warned the first tsunami wave was expected to arrive in the Pacific island state at 10.28pm local time on Saturday (7.28pm AEDT Sunday).

 

"Basically this tsunami is pointed right at us," Gerard Fryer, senior geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, told CNN International. "It's not just one wave, it's a succession of waves... We are recommending coastal evacuation."

 

The PT WC said the first tsunami wave was three feet high and less forceful than expected. Some forecasts had predicted a wave of up to six feet high.

 

‘The tsunami arrived about when we expected it should,’ Senior Geophysicist Gerard Fryer told reporters at a news conference, saying: ‘I was expecting it to be a little bigger.’

 

The tsunami warnings followed a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 that hit Canada’s Pacific coastal province of British Columbia late on Saturday.

 

The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered 123 miles (198 km) south-southwest of Prince Rupert at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km).

 

Watch video report:

 

Ontario will receive worst of Sandy: Says Canadian Hurricane Centre

HALIFAX, Canada (Sun, Oct. 28) — Reported by madn3wz The northeastern states of US will face Hurricane Sandy as it whips north this weekend, but huge masses of Canada are also expected to take a hit as well.

 

Ontario will receive worst of Sandy: Says Canadian Hurricane Centre

 

 

According to the Canadian Hurricane Centre; Ontario may see the worst of Sandy when it hits early next week.

 

Centre’s spokesperson Bob Robichaud tells while the rainfall amounts are still difficult to forecast, southern and eastern Ontario could see between 50 and 100 millimeters late Monday and early Tuesday.

 

He says there is also the potential for significant impacts in Eastern Ontario and those areas will also see high winds, although they will likely not hit hurricane strength.

 

"As many as 23 million Canadians stand to be affected by this storm," said meteorologist Mark Robinson at the Weather Network. "That's 70% of the country.

 

On Saturday Pearson International Airport reported 25 flight cancellations and Air Canada says it expects further delays and cancellations because of Hurricane Sandy.

 

Sandy is presently heading northward over the Bahamas and is likely to remain to track north while sustaining its hurricane strength. A large, high-pressure system over the Maritimes is likely to block Sandy’s movement, pushing it into the Mid-Atlantic States on late Monday or early Tuesday.

 

Weather forecasters forecast its effects will be far-reaching on Canadian territory, with rainy and blustery conditions also expected for Quebec and the Maritime provinces.

 

Sandy has so far killed more than 44 people in the Caribbean, wrecked homes and knocked down trees and power lines.

 

Report Tags:

 

hurricane sandy, Sandy in Ontario, Sandy Storm, Bahamas, Canada, super storm, Sandy Super Storm, tropical cyclone, hurricane

U.S. Presidential Election: Absentee Ballots Burned in Plane Crash in Afghanistan

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Sat, Oct 27) – Reported by madn3wz

Micro-blogging site Twitter has been abuzzed tonight by a story broke on Yahoo! News according to which a mysterious plane crash on Friday (October 19) has caused to destroy absentee ballots being sent to U.S. military serving in Afghanistan.

Absentee Ballots Burned in Plane Crash in Afghanistan Could Effect the Results

 

The cause of the crash is still being investigated and officials are claiming that it was Just an accident because there is no way that the U.S. government would try to deprive brave Americans for voting, not even if they were voting for Mitt Romney.

According to Yahoo! News; 4,700 pounds of incoming mail to the troops were destroyed as a result of a transport plane crash at Shindad Air Base on October 19; but fortunately the lost mail was limited to only one zip code.

The story is just buzzing on Twitter, and it is creating a great stir. Many Tweets have expressed shocked suspicion, and many have pointed at the possibility of a wicked plan to destroy these military votes which are widely considered Republican shoe-ins.

Officials at Federal Voting Assistance Program in their email to state election offices said they did not know if any ballots were destroyed.

But they suggested to election officials to send a new ballot again to anyone who asked one since the first ballot may have been damaged in the crash and fire.

Report Tags:

US Election, GOP Election in U.S., Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, US President, Twitter, Yahoo News, Federal Voting Assistance Program, Military ballots

Video Report: Sandy at U.S. East Coast could be morphed into 'Super Storm'

MIAMI (Sat, Oct 27) – Reported by madn3wz After killing dozens in the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy heading towards the U.S. East Coast Saturday, menacing as much as one third of the United States with what has been named as a powerful "Frankenstorm" by some weather watchers because it will combine elements of a tropical cyclone and a winter storm.

 

Hurricane Sandy at U.S. East Coast could be morphed into 'Super Storm'

 

 

More alarmingly, forecast models show Sandy will have all the ingredients to transform into an enormous and possibly catastrophic "super storm."

 

Earlier, Category 1 Hurricane Sandy pulled away from the Bahamas on Saturday after killing at least 44 people in the Caribbean. Sandy left a stream of damage in the Caribbean, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. In Haiti, a bridge connecting to the Dominican Republic was smashed by fast rising water. Towns are flooded and inhabitants have rescued to higher ground as safety precautions.

 

Authorities in states coming under danger zone along the U.S. East Coast declared states of emergency on Friday, and officials urged residents to stock up on food, water and batteries in the event the storm develops as forecast.

 

"It is going to be a challenging storm," Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate said. Although as on early Saturday morning, Sandy was about 375 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, packing sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 km per hour); but officials warned it was too early to say when and where the storm would make its initial landfall.

 

On its current projected track, government forecasters said, Sandy could make landfall on Monday night or Tuesday in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York or southern New England. The US Navy has already ordered some of its ships out to sea.

 

Watch video below:

 

 

Downey Shooting: 3 killed, 2 injured from same family

DOWNEY, Calif. (Wed, Oct. 24) — Reported by madn3wz

 

Downey Shooting: 3 killed, 2 injured from same family

 

Five members of same family were victimized in a bizarre shooting incident Wednesday morning while three of them died in connected attacks at a business and residence in a Los Angeles suburb, police said.

According to details; a gunman opened fire on the family that owned a local fire extinguisher company, called United States Fire Protection Services, killing three and wounding two others at their business and nearby home. The motive behind the rampage is still a mystery, Downey police said.

"Obviously, there's a reason why this happened, we're just trying to figure what that is," Downey Police Lt. Dean Milligan said. "It's not a random act of violence."

A woman was found dead at the home, and a man and a woman were killed at the business, he said. Two other shooting victims were in critical but stable condition at hospitals.

None of the surviving victims were able to target the shooter, police said. Neighbors of the business noted that the business seemed especially secure: the front door was locked at all times and visitors had to knock or be let in by a specialist, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Canada joins to demand Nobel Peace prize for teenage Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai

OTTAWA, Canada (Wed, Oct. 24) – Reported by madn3wz

Canada joins to demand Nobel Peace prize for teenage Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai

 

Several Canadian politicians have joined their voices to demand that the Nobel Peace prize to be presented next year should be awarded to the young Pakistani girl who was shot Taliban for her activism for women's rights.

 

The acting head of the Liberal Party of Canada, Bob Rae, wrote a letter Wednesday to the Nominating Committee, Norway, to submit the appointment of the 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who was the target of terrorism for his struggle for women's equality and their right to an education. 

“Malala should be formally recognized for his outstanding work in defending the rights of a person the most fundamental - women's equality - for herself, her sisters and all the girls around the globe,” said Mr. Rae. “She became a leading figure in the movement to stem the tide of extremism and to promote peace and equality of opportunity, starting with the most basic human rights, including education.”

 

The Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has also submitted the nomination of the teenager in a letter sent Tuesday.

Malala Yousafzai still critical: Being shifted to AFIC, Rawalpindi

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Thu, Oct. 11) - Reported by madn3wz

Malala Yousafzai still critical: Being shifted to AFIC, Rawalpindi

Child activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot - with two other girls - in the head by the Taliban on Tuesday while returning home in her school van, is "not yet out of danger" and is being moved from Peshawar to a top Rawalpindi hospital, authorities said today, as special prayers were offered across Pakistan for her speedy recovery.

Recently emerged media reports have suggested that the 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai is being shifted from Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar to Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) in Rawalpindi, because of her condition continues to be serious even after removing the bullet from her neck yesterday.

"Her condition is not yet out of danger despite improvement. She is being shifted to Rawalpindi," Masood Kausar, the governor of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told reporters.

Earlier, one of her doctors, Mumtaz Khan, told AFP Malala had improved since the bullet was removed in an operation on Wednesday but she was still seriously ill.

“She has been put on a ventilator for two days. The bullet has affected some part of the brain, but there is a 70% chance that she will survive,” he said.

 

Preparations had been made Wednesday to fly her abroad, but a military source told AFP she was too ill to travel. The White House has said US forces are ready to offer transport and treatment to the teenager if needed.  

Brave Malala Yousafzai 'Out of Danger': CMH Surgeons

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Wed, Oct. 10) - Reported by madn3wz

Brave Malala Yousafzai 'Out of Danger': CMH Surgeons

Surgeons at CMH (Combined Military Hospital) Peshawar say that bullet has successfully been removed from the campaigning teenage schoolgirl shot by Taliban gunmen yesterday in Swat, BBC reports.

According to details; medical team successfully operated on Malala and removed the bullet lodged in her neck, local media reported on Wednesday.

The 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot on her school bus with two friends in the former Taliban stronghold of Swat on Tuesday, then flown to the main northwestern city of Peshawar to be admitted to a military hospital.

Malala spent Tuesday night in ICU of CMH Peshawar, where doctors described her condition as critical, but after successful surgery she is reported as 'stable'.

The cowardly attack, in which two other girls were injured, has been widely condemned and sparked a social media firestorm. Thousands of people around the world have sent the teenage campaigner messages of support via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

A military officer told AFP that a team of top doctors had flown to Peshawar to assess her condition on Wednesday.

“They have a two-point agenda, to determine if Malala Yousafzai’s condition allows her to be shifted abroad for treatment or if she needs surgery here,” the officer said.

Malala won international recognition for highlighting Taliban atrocities in Swat with a blog for the BBC three years ago, when the Islamist militants led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah burned girls’ schools and terrorised the valley.

She was just 11 when she started her diary, two years after the Taliban took over the Swat Valley and ordered girls' schools to close.