Nearly 300,000 Without Power in Massachusetts After Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy: Nearly 300,000 in Massachusetts Without Power. Crews from the National Grid, NStar, and Unitil are working to restore power to an estimated 290,000 customers, heavily concentrated in coastal communities.  [Boston.com]

Deval Patrick: ‘We Feel Very Fortunate’ That Sandy Wasn’t a Direct Hit. “We feel very fortunate. There have been no reports of serious injury or serious infrastructure damage. Now that we have daylight, we are getting specific information about where there has been damage,” Gov. Patrick said about Sandy at a Tuesday morning briefing.  [WCVB]

Sandy’s Impact Likely To Total Tens of Billions of Dollars. While it may take days, weeks, or months to tally the total damages caused by Sandy, some economists are trying to wrap their heads around the total by comparing the storm to Irene. “It seems likely that Sandy will impose greater destruction of property [than Irene], and add to that the loss of about two days commercial activity, spread over a week across 25 percent of the economy, an initial estimate of the economic losses imposed by Sandy is about $35 to 45 billion,” Peter Morici, an economist/professor at the University of Maryland, said in a written statement.  [WBUR]

There’s a Facebook Page for Pets Lost or Found During Sandy. The Facebook page popped up during the storm so people can post photos and attempt to reconnect lost pets with their owners.  [Facebook]

Someone Made a Fake Boston Skyline/Sandy Photo. Very Deep Impact/The Day After Tomorrow/etc.  [via Reddit]