Heavily anticipated since late last week, Superstorm Sandy came as advertised on Monday, battering Bethlehem with heavy rain and wind gusts of 60 mph, knocking down tree limbs and power lines and leaving some 30,000 city homes without electricity by midnight. Still, the 1,000-mile wide monster cyclone dubbed “Frankenstorm” may not be through with the Lehigh Valley. More rain and wind gusts as high as 50 mph remained in the National Weather Service forecast for today. “Its nuts all around,” commented one Bethlehem Patch Facebook follower. “Transformer fires. Trees down etc. Roofs flying all …

  The American Red Cross urges residents to make their storm preparations now as heavy rains and high winds are forecast to begin in the Northeast states Sunday afternoon. Weather experts predict this massive weather system could affect as many as 50 million people, with the storm having a significant impact in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. WHAT THE RED CROSS IS DOING.  Some expect the approaching storm to be more powerful than Hurricane Irene, which caused a widespread disaster response operation in 2011. The Red Cross is mobilizing …

  With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on the Northeast, three events planned in Bethlehem for Sunday – the Halloween parade, the Halloween 5K and the Steel Horse Poker Run for Cystic Fibrosis – have been postponed until next Sunday, November 4. All of the events will have the same starting time. The parade will start at 2 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce Halloween 5K race will follow tradition and start along the parade route an hour before the parade starts at 1 p.m. However, there will be no packet pickup on the Saturday preceding the race. Packets can be picked up before the race between 10 a.m…

  As Hurricane Sandy lurked in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, Bethlehem city employees were beginning to brace for what is already being dubbed "Frankenstorm." Streets employees were out clearing gutters and drainage sewers of fallen leaves – a pre-emptive strike against flooding from anticipated heavy rain. In the Electrical Bureau, staff was testing the city’s supply of portable generators to ensure that they will be ready to power traffic lights at some of the city’s busiest intersections should large sections of the city lose power -- as they did during last year’s surprise Halloween snow …