Hurricane Sandy: Latest developments - CBS News As Hurricane Sandy churns toward the eastern seaboard, here's a breakdown of the storm and its impact: Under pressure: The storm's pressure is dropping, which means it's growing in strength. According to CBS News hurricane consultant David Bernard, pressure is currently at 943 millibars, which beats the record for lowest pressure observed north of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The record was previously held by Long Island Express, a massive hurricane that pummeled New York in 1938. Even though Sandy is technically a Category 1 storm, the current pressure levels are those typically seen in a Category 3 or 4. But because the storm's energy is spread out over such a large area, the wind speeds haven't reached the level of a major hurricane. Hurricane Sandy 11 am update: Getting stronger Surge: Among the many dangers posed by Sandy, storm surge is possibly the most significant. Flooding has already been seen in parts of Maryland and southern New Jersey and water levels have risen around southern Manhattan. Peak surge will come just ahead of landfall - sometime around 8 or 9 p.m. Monday evening. That will coincide with high tide, adding to the surge's potential impact. Forecasters warned that New York City and Long Island could be on the dangerous northeastern edge of the tempest and bear the worst of the storm surge - a wall of seawater up to 11 feet high that could swamp lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial center. Location: The Category 1 hurricane is moving north-northwest at 18 mph, and is turning northwestward. At 11:00 a.m. ET the storm was centered about 260 miles south-southeast of New York City. Sandy is expected to make landfall near Atlantic City, N.J. Winds building: Maximum sustained winds have increased to 90 mph, with gusts over 100 mph observed along the coast. Outages: More than 100,000 people are without power across several East Coast states. Officials have warned that response crews may be delayed because of high winds. NYC tunnels closing Travel: Nearly 10,000 flights have been canceled Monday and Tuesday, almost all storm-related, according to FlightAware. With major carriers canceling all flights at the three New York-area airports, a ripple effect of delays can be expected across the U.S. and worldwide. After shutting down subway and train service in New York City, authorities also announced that two major tunnels into Manhattan, the Holland and Brooklyn Battery, would close at 2 p.m. Evacuations: Hundreds of thousands are under orders to evacuate coastal regions, including 375,000 in New York City. At a mid-morning news conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that time was running out for those ordered to evacuate, saying that those people "should have left already." States of emergency: President Barack Obama has declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, authorizing federal relief work to begin well ahead of time. He promised the government would "respond big and respond fast" after the storm hits. "My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape," Mr. Obama said. We are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules. Campaigns affected: Sandy has disrupted planned events for both presidential campaigns just over a week before Election Day. In Virginia, one of the most competitive states, election officials eased absentee voting requirements for those affected by the storm. Three other closely contested states, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio, were within Sandy's reach. Early voting was canceled Monday in Maryland and Washington, D.C., both reliably Democratic. Not just the coast: The confluence of weather patterns is also expected to bring heavy snows in areas inland. Parts of West Virginia could see up to three feet of snow. HMS Bounty: A three-masted ship that looked straight from an earlier century got caught in Hurricane Sandy's wrath and began taking on water, forcing the crew into lifeboats in rough seas off the North Carolina coast. The Coast Guard rescued 14 people by helicopter Monday, but two people were missing. The 180-foot HMS Bounty, which has been featured in Hollywood films such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," had left Connecticut last week en route to Florida.