New York City Evacuation Zones

Tens of millions of East Coast residents scrambled on Sunday to prepare for Hurricane Sandy, which could make landfall as the largest storm to hit the United States, bringing battering winds, flooding and even heavy snow.

The massive storm, which has already killed 66 people in the Caribbean, was headed toward a densely populated region that includes Washington, New York and Boston and its effects could be felt for hundreds of miles, officials warned.

It could be the largest storm to hit the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

New York and other big cities closed their transit systems and schools and ordered residents of low-lying areas to evacuate before a storm surge that could reach as 11 feet.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the evacuation of low-lying areas of New York City, (Zone A, shown in red in the interactive map below) from upscale parts of lower Manhattan to waterfront housing projects in the outer boroughs, that are home to some 375,000 people.