■ If you are a Malaysian in the east coast of the United States and in the path of Hurricane Sandy we would like to hear from you of the situation there. Send your e-mail to talk2thestar@gmail.com
● You can also send in your pictures(with a short caption) to photo@thestar.com.my

NEW YORK: Malaysians living on the east coast of the United States have been advised to follow instructions from their local authorities to protect themselves and their families from Hurricane Sandy.

The Malaysian consulate general in New York said that it was "always willing" to offer assistance to Malaysians in distress, if there was a need.

People prepare their homes for flooding as Hurricane Sandy approaches in the Rockaway Beach neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Consul General Syed Mohammed Bakri Syed Abdul Rahman urged Malaysians to take precautionary measures to protect themselves, given the intensity of the storm which, according to American experts, is expected to cause considerable destruction to property and trees, and also disrupt electricity and other services.

"Though this is a personal responsibility of the individual concerned, we will be happy to help wherever we can.

"We are also in touch with Malaysian community leaders to keep ourselves abreast and also keep Malaysian nationals in the consulate's jurisdiction informed," Syed Bakri told Bernama.

He said that his office was also in contact with the U.S. authorities to get the latest information.

There are some 14,000 officially registered Malaysians living in the jurisdiction covered by the consulate general in New York.

However, Syed Bakri said not all Malaysians registered themselves because it was not mandatory for Malaysians to do so.

According to his estimate, there are about 20,000 to 30,000 Malaysians living in the consular jurisdiction.

Hurricane Sandy has headed north from the Caribbean on Saturday and was expected to pummel the eastern region of the United States.

The storm left 58 people dead across the Caribbean, and badly damaged thousands of homes, uprooted trees and disrupted power lines.

Meteorologists say that the storm could be wider and stronger than Irene, which caused more than US$15bill (RM46.5bil) in damage when it struck in August 2011, and easily the worst storm to descend on the east coast on record.

Already a number of states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have declared a state of emergency.

Many airlines have already announced delays and cancellation of their flights to and from the east coast - there are three major airports, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark waiving fees for rescheduling flights for stranded passengers. - Bernama

• IHH Healthcare earnings up 3.6% to RM127.27m
• Petronas Dagangan Q1 earnings down 3.7% to RM237m
• Japan's tumble drags key regional, European markets lower (Update)
• KUB in JV with Singapore's Hiap Seng for Petronas project
• TDM to plant 5,000ha of new trees every year in Kalimantan
• KLCI falls to low of 1,765, rattled by Japan, HK
• Japan stocks crash on volatile bonds, weak China data; Nikkei ends down 7.3%
• MISC posts RM300m net profit in Q1, sees challenging year ahead (Update)
• KL Kepong slips to low of RM21.36 as quarterly profit drops
• Maybank's Q1 earnings up 11.8% to RM1.506b (Update)
• Lafarge Cement positive on markets, mulls expanding capacity
• Dayang Enterprise awards RM705m contract to Perdana Petroleum
• KLCI pauses, Japan, Hong Kong key indices slide (Update)
• ECM Libra plans to exit PN17 by year-end
• China HSBC flash PMI hits 7-mth low, fans growth fears

• Ranger, militant killed in Thai south shootout
• Japan man, 80, scales Everest, sets record
• Philippines vows to defend territory against China
• S. Korean girl killed by suicide jumper
• Ecuador warns satellite could hit rocket remains
• Short-story writer Davis wins Booker International Prize
• Two babies among US tornado victims
• Anti-Islamist protests flare following London attack
• 'British solider' butchered in suspected Islamist attack (Updated)

• Rugby: Former All Black coach Henry on misconduct charge
• Ice queen Nicol into British Open quarters
• Australia to consider following ban on anchor putters
• Intxausti wins 16th stage, Nibali still keeps pink jersey
• Indonesia drawn to meet China again – in knockout stage
• Results worldwide
• Malacca sprinter Mohd Azam Masri out to create history by winning five events in MSSM meet
• Athletics runs in the veins of Vallabouy family
• Chinese long jumper Jinzhe claims another Olympic scalp
• Dane Jorgensen’s wish is to avoid Chinese ace Lin Dan in World Championships
• National badminton team’s lack of depth a glaring factor in home tourney
• Khim Wah-V Shem perform above expectations in Sudirman Cup debut
• Jindapon aims to qualify for 2016 Olympics
• Kenichi’s goal is to take Japan into Sudirman Cup semi-finals
• Dong-keun shows he’s a capable replacement

• Please wait.

• Actress’ barking pet saves her from attacker in late night incident
• Colleges challenge new conditions set by registrar
• Tian Chua, Haris Ibrahim, Tamrin Ghafar to spend the night in lockup (Update)
• Transport Ministry reveals new FT registration plate to start with W1A
• What comes after WYY?
• In China, food scares put Mao's self-sufficiency goal at risk
• Verdict ends three years of restlessness for family, says Sosilawati's daughter
• All four accused guilty in murder of Sosilawati Lawiya and three others (Update)
• Chromebook to help rural pupils leapfrog into parity with urban peers
• Astro and Maxis to deliver new-age TV service in Klang Valley