A powerful winter storm has again blasted the northeastern United States, bringing wet snow and strong winds to areas already devastated by last week’s Superstorm Sandy. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses lost power along the East Coast from the Carolinas to New York on Wednesday, joining the more than half a million customers who still remain without power in Sandy’s wake. Concerns were raised the storm could threaten the relief effort in some of the hardest-hit areas. Meanwhile, the death toll from Superstorm Sandy in the United States and Canada has risen to 121 after the death of an elderly man who was found unresponsive at the bottom of a wet and dark stairwell in Rockaway, Queens. On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned Sandy may have weakened defenses against potential flooding.

Michael Bloomberg: “Because of today’s storm, coastal areas in our city face the risk of some flooding until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and the National Weather Service warns that there could be some major flooding in spots already eroded by Sandy. The difference here is that the barriers of sand or rock that were there before perhaps are not there. We haven’t and won’t order the kind of large-scale evacuation that we did in advance of Hurricane Sandy, but if you are experienced — experiencing significant flooding during Sandy, you should consider taking shelter with friends and family at a safer spot or using one of the city’s storm shelters.”