National

Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the East Coast of the U.S., bringing sustained wind, heavy rain, and flooding that's forcing roads, bridges and mass transit systems to close from New York City to Washington. We're following the storm's progress and its impacts here on The Two-Way .

Update at 1:16 p.m. ET. Not Taken During Sandy:

The Old Guard reports on Twitter that the photograph we posted of soldiers standing guard over the the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was taken in September. It was not taken during Sandy, as the First Army Division East, said in its Facebook page.

Here is one taken today, according to the Old Guard:

Our Original Post Continues:

This is perhaps one of the more stunning pictures we've come across today:

Here are a few reasons government forecasters at the National Hurricane Center and emergency management officials are so concerned about Sandy:

1. Sandy is one of the largest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. Sandy's winds cover an area of more than 1,000 miles in diameter. That's enormous by hurricane standards. So instead of affecting an area a couple of hundred miles across, Sandy will cut a huge swath. That means many millions of people are probably going to be exposed to high winds, heavy rains, and, for those on the coast, powerful storm surge.