Nor'easter Evacuations for Some New York, New Jersey Residents

Nov. 7, 2012— -- A week after superstorm Sandy caused massive damage and power outages, some New York and New Jersey residents were evacuated ahead of a nor'easter that was expected to bring high winds and rain to the region.

More than 620 nursing home residents in New York City's storm-battered Rockaways section were evacuated Tuesday.

In New Jersey, winds were kicking up early Wednesday morning, prompting some coastline communities to order mandatory evacuations.

In Rockaway Park, N.Y., after a week spent cleaning up from Sandy, Regina McManus said she had to shut down the generator she'd been living off to to protect it from the elements.

"[I'm] tired, exhausted," she told ABC News today. "But, hey, what am I gonna do? This is life."

Today's nor'easter wasn't expected to be as bad as Sandy, but with more than half a million people without power along the Eastern Seaboard -- including 423,000 in New Jersey and more than 66,000 in New York City -- officials were worried about residents hunkered down in damaged homes with no power.

In McManus' home, the temperatures had already reached 45 degrees and were dropping.

"Another [storm's] coming," she said today, "but I'm being reassured that it's not going to be a flood zone this time."

Forecasters said Tuesday that the storm looked like it would be weaker than expected as it had veered farther offshore than earlier projections had indicated. Still, winds could gust up to at least 50 mph in New York and New Jersey this afternoon and into the evening.

Storm surges could reach up to three feet on the coastlines. The highest recorded storm surge during Sandy in New York was 13.88 feet.

Snow was falling from northern Maryland to eastern Pennsylvania, with Washington, D.C., seeing 1 to 2 inches and Philadelphia around 3 inches.

"We live by the adage -- prepare for the worst, hope for the best -- and that's exactly what we're doing," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

Cuomo said the state was slowly taking steps toward recovery after superstorm Sandy.

"We have about 350,000 New Yorkers without power. That's way down from what it was -- about 2.1 million -- but it's still not OK," Cuomo said.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said those that had finally regained power could lose it after the nor'easter. Christie said the state was still taking strides toward recovery after Sandy.

"The fact that I have 2.1 million people with power back doesn't mean a damn to you if you don't have your power back. You're happy for your neighbor, but you're not happy until you lights go on, until your heat goes on, and I recognize that," Christie said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency put a number to the storm's homeless in New York and New Jersey, saying 95,000 people were eligible for emergency housing assistance. In New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, more than 277,000 people have registered for general assistance, the agency said.

Although mandatory evacuations were resumed on New Jersey shore communities, there were no mandatory evacuations in low-lying areas in New York City. With a storm surge expected from the nor'easter, though, many living near the water remained worried.

"We're going to get a lot of wind and a lot of rain and that's what's scary," Maria Curatola, of Staten Island, told ABC News. "I'm hoping it'll blow over. I'm hoping it'll go the opposite way we've had enough."

McManus said she was going to stay home during today's storm but a neighbor said he planned to leave.

"Hopefully, it's not going to be as bad but we're not going to stay," he said today. "Got to think of my family first."

With temperatures dropping into the mid-30s overnight, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged those without power and heat to head to shelters and warming centers. The mayor also closed parks, playgrounds and beaches.

Police pleaded today for people to seek out shelters, which were making room for residents by carting out bulky bags of donations.

United, the world's largest airline, suspended most New York City service starting at noon. American Airlines was shutting down in New York at 3 p.m. today and also stopped flights to and from Philadelphia at noon.

Since the superstorm made landfall more than a week ago, it has claimed the lives of more than 100 people in the U.S.

ABC News Radio and the Associated Press contributed to this report.