Sandy sequel: new storm hits New York, New Jersey

New York, Nov 8 : A powerful nor'easter slammed Sandy-battered New York and New Jersey on Wednesday disrupting train services and bringing fresh miseries to storm-victims. FEMA stations were shut down ahead of the new storm with high winds up to 65 mph along the East Coast.More than 300,000 New Jersey households at still without power since the time Hurricane Sandy hit them. New York City has closed all parks, playgrounds and beaches. Long Island Rail Road was suspended but was later resumed. New York Mayor Bloomberg has evacuated elderly residents in at-risk areas and is urging New Yorkers to stay inside during the storm .Over 1500 New York flights have been cancelled. FEMA has shuttered its recovery centers in anticipation of the Nor'easter, a powerful storm system bringing with it high winds and piles of wet, slushy snow.They have been set up in the boroughs offering assistance to those most affected by Superstorm Sandy.Adding to the mess, the three major airports in the tri-state area haveclosed down, commuter trains have all but stopped service, and mass transit has lurched to a halt, inflicting another round of misery on the city's residents.Some 13,000 homes and businesses from the Carolinas to New York lost power on Wednesday, adding to the 650,000 customers who still lacked electricity from one of the biggest and costliest storms ever to hit the United States.New York and New Jersey evacuated the most vulnerable coastal areas ahead of the nor'easter, whose rain, strong winds and snow were hitting a large portion of the region."You have to prepare for the storm that's coming in a few hours," New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told residents of his storm-battered state. "I'm waiting for the locusts and pestilence next," he joked, in a reference to Old Testament plagues.The low-pressure weather system was forecast to strengthen as it moved north on Wednesday with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said.Ice pellets hit Long Island and the storm lifted wave heights to nearly 20 feet off Nantucket, Massachusetts, AccuWeather reported.School districts in Connecticut sent students home early as a precaution, and the New York Stock Exchange removed the giant US flag from its facade to protect it from high winds.Snowflakes or a mix of rain and snow fell on parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, causing airport delays. While the nor'easter is not expected to be as powerful as Sandy, forecasters are still making grim predictions. Wind gusts could reach as much as 50mph and cause further beach erosion to already-damaged areas.'I know everyone's patience is wearing thin,' John Miksad, senior vice president of electric operations at Consolidated Edison, the chief utility in New York City, told the Associated Press.As the nor'easter closed in, thousands of people in low-lying neighborhoods staggered by the superstorm just over a week ago were urged to clear out.Authorities warned that rain and 60 mph gusts in the evening and overnight could swamp homes all over again, topple trees wrenched loose by Sandy, and erase some of the hard-won progress made in restoring power to millions of customers.'I am waiting for the locusts and pestilence next,' New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said. 'We may take a setback in the next 24 hours.'Harsh weather: Homeowner Chris Brady stands by a wall of windows damaged by Hurricane Sandy to watch snow fall in Lindenhurst, New York on Wednesday.