A powerful storm known as a nor'easter has battered the northeastern United States, knocking out power and causing flooding across the region. As of Saturday afternoon local time, more than 88,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, down from a peak of 119,000 earlier in the day.

The storm has led to the cancellation of more than 400 flights. According to flight tracker FlightAware, 425 flights were cancelled and 1,338 delayed on Saturday. The governors of New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency in counties expected to see the worst of the storm, including New York City, on Friday.

Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, said the storm is likely to persist, with "a lot of high winds, a lot of high tides and heavy rain possibility over the next few days for the northeastern US." He noted that nor'easters are not unusual as New England enters autumn, but "this might be a little earlier than average for a big storm."

Authorities have warned residents about the risks of flooding and high tides, cautioning people to stay away from the beach and areas inundated with water. "Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.

Despite the warnings, people have been seen kayaking down flooded streets in Long Island, New York, while others took advantage of large swells in Hampton, New Hampshire. "In all the canals, the water is up really high and coming into people's back yards," Jay Boyd, a resident of Ocean City, Maryland, told The Associated Press.

Concerts and sporting events have also been cancelled, including musician Ed Sheeran's scheduled shows in Massachusetts on Friday and Saturday.

Source: www.aljazeera.com