UPDATE: Hurricane Sandy – 12 People Dead, 5.3 Million People Without Power

Hurricane Sandy has been beating down on the North East, the damage the storm is producing grows by the minute.

UPDATE: At Midnight CT it has been confirmed that 12 have died in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and West Virginia as the result of Hurricane Sandy with 5.3 million people without power in 12 states across the NE.

The super storm is nearly 1,000 miles wide with wind speeds reaching 85 miles per hour. New York experienced a 13-foot surge of water entering the city. The surge has since decreased to less than 9-feet and will continue to lower until 9 a.m. Tuesday morning when it is expected to be on the rise again.

As of a result of the power outages across the NE residents are without heat, some states such as West Virginia are seeing blizzard like conditions and have received more than 12-feet of snow. The same storm dropping the snow developed a tornado earlier in the day on the Mid-Atlantic coastline.

President Obama has issued a State of Emergency for Washington D.C. around 12:30 a.m. CT.