Pope: Prayers and support for Hurricane Sandy victims

(Vatican Radio) Pope Benedict XVI has launched an appeal for prayer and concrete acts of solidarity for the people of the East Coast of the United States struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.Listen:

Following his weekly catechesis, in his greetings to English speaking pilgrims at the Wednesday General Audience, he said: “Conscious of the devastation caused by the hurricane which recently struck the East Coast of the United States of America, I offer my prayers for the victims and express my solidarity with all those engaged in the work of rebuilding”.

Sandy, which has killed 40 people in the United States, pushed inland and dumped snow in the Appalachian Mountains. Its remains slowed over Pennsylvania, and it was expected to move
north toward western New York and Canada. Blizzard warnings and coastal flood warnings for the shores of the Great Lakes are in effect.

Battered by a record storm surge of nearly 14 feet (4.2 meters) of water, swaths of New York City remained submerged Wednesday under several feet of water. In the city's borough of Staten
Island, police used helicopters to pluck stranded residents from rooftops.

More than 8.2 million homes and businesses remained without electricity across several states as trees toppled by fierce winds tore down power lines.

In New Jersey, Christie said it could take seven to 10 days before power is restored statewide.
Subway tracks and commuter tunnels under New York City, which carry several million people a day, were under several feet of water.

In the lower half of Manhattan, a quarter million residents remained without power after a transformer explosion at a Con Edison substation Monday night.