ACCU-WEATHER METEOROLOGIST DEAN DEVORE SAYS HURRICANE SANDY'S BIGGEST PUNCH COMES AFTER LUNCH TODAY.  "I THINK THE HEAVIEST RAIN WILL BE LATER ON THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT AND THEN THE WIND WILL ALSO BE PICKING UP AND BE AT ITS WORST LATER ON THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AS WELL," DEVORE SAYS.  HE FIGURES WIND GUSTS WILL HIT 60 TO 70 MILES PER HOUR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AND FOUR TO SIX INCHES OF RAIN.  HE STILL EXPECTS RAIN AND STRONG WIND TOMORROW, BUT NOT QUITE AS BAD AS TODAY'S OUTLOOK.

  PENNSYLVANIA GOV. TOM CORBETT HAS DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY AS THE MEGASTORM ADVANCES TOWARD THE EAST COAST.  "THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL STORM.  IT COULD VERY WELL BE HISTORIC IN NATURE AND IN SCOPE AND IN MAGNITUDE BECAUSE OF THE WIDESPREAD ANTICIPATED POWER OUTAGES, FLOODING AND WIND DAMAGE TO THE COMMONWEALTH," THE GOVERNOR SAYS.  CORBETT IS ASKING PENNSYLVANIANS TO FIND A SAFE PLACE AND REMAIN THERE FOR THE DURATION OF WHAT HE SAYS COULD BE A VERY DAMAGING STORM.  HE SAYS 4 MILLION PENNSYLVANIANS COULD BE AFFECTED.  HE SAYS MOST AREAS WILL GET THREE TO FIVE INCHES OF RAIN, AND SOME COULD SEE SIX TO 10 INCHES.  FORT INDIANTOWN GAP WILL DISTRIBUTE WATER AND GENERATORS TO PARTS OF THE STATE THAT NEED THEM.  CORBETT SAYS HE'S ALSO WORRIED ABOUT PHILADELPHIA-AREA REFINERIES.

  PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA HAS SIGNED AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION FOR PENNSYLVANIA.  THE DECLARATION WILL ALLOW STATE OFFICIALS TO REQUEST FEDERAL FUNDING AND OTHER ASSISTANCE FOR ACTIONS TAKEN IN ADVANCE OF THE HUGE STORM.  FORECASTERS SAY HURRICANE SANDY COULD BLOW ASHORE MONDAY NIGHT OR EARLY TUESDAY ALONG THE NEW JERSEY COAST, THEN CUT ACROSS INTO PENNSYLVANIA.  OFFICIALS SAY THE STORM WILL THREATEN 50 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE MOST HEAVILY POPULATED CORRIDOR OF THE NATION.

  LEHIGH COUNTY'S EMERGENCY SERVICES DIRECTOR HAS THREE WORDS OF ADVICE AS THE WORST OF HURRICANE SANDY WORKS ITS WAY TOWARDS US.  "TAKE IT SERIOUSLY," IS THE ADVICE OF TOM NERVINE, WHO SAYS INEVITABLY PEOPLE THINK THE IDEA OF RIDING OUT THE STORM MEANS GOING OUTSIDE AND HAVING FUN IN THE TORRENTIAL RAIN AND STRONG WINDS.  HE SAYS THAT IS FOOLISH AND PUTS THOSE PEOPLE AND EMERGENCY WORKERS IN DANGER.

  THE LOCAL RED CROSS' JANICE OSBORNE SAYS 2121 CITY LINE ROAD IN BETHLEHEM IS THE SITE OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY'S EMERGENCY SHELTER.  OSBORNE SAYS MORE COULD BE COMING IF NEEDED.  "WE HAVE ALSO PREDETERMINED OTHER SHELTER LOCATIONS IN THE EVENT SANDY AFFECTS MORE PEOPLE AND A LARGER AREA," OSBORNE SAYS.  SHE SAYS THE CITY LINE ROAD SHELTER IS FOR CARBON, LEHIGH AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTY RESIDENTS FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES DUE TO HURRICANE SANDY.  THE SHELTER CAN ACCOMODATE UP TO 100 PEOPLE.  THE SHELTER WILL PROVIDE FOOD, COTS AND BLANKETS.  IF YOU SEEK SHELTER THERE, OSBORNE SAYS YOU SHOULD BRING ESSENTIAL MEDICATIONS WITH YOU AS WELL AS EXTRA CLOTHING AND HYGIENE SUPPLIES.  PETS CAN BE BROUGHT TO A SHELTER SET UP THERE AS WELL.

LANTA HAS SUSPENDED SERVICE TODAY.  BUS ROUTES WILL NOT OPERATE AND ALL LANTA VAN SERVICE IS CANCELLED EXCEPT TRIPS TO ANY DIALYSIS CENTERS AND ANY TRIPS ALREADY SCHEDULED FOR MAJOR MEDICAL PURPOSES.  LANTA IS FAR FROM ALONE.  AMTRAK, SEPTA AND NEW YORK'S METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY HAVE ALL SUSPENDED SERVICE AS WELL.

  ALL FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED AT PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN ANTICIPATION OF HURRICANE SANDY.  AIRPORT SPOKESWOMAN VICTORIA LUPICA SAYS "THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM AND SAFETY IS OUR MAIN CONCERN."  LEHIGH VALLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS OPEN HOWEVER NEARLY HALF OF ALL INCOMING AND OUTGOING FLIGHTS ARE CANCELLED BECAUSE OF HURRICANE SANDY.  CHECK WITH YOUR CARRIER TO DETERMINE IF THE FLIGHT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN IS ON SCHEDULE.

  HURRICANE SANDY REMAINS HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY FROM NEW JERSEY BUT THE SUPERSTORM HAS BEEN MAKING ITS APPROACH KNOWN, WITH HIGH WINDS, ROUGH SURF AND COASTAL FLOODING.  GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE ISSUED A BLUNT WARNING TO ANYONE THINKING OF RIDING OUT THE STORM: "DON'T BE STUPID. GET OUT."  HE EXPECTS THE STORM TO MAKE LANDFALL NEAR ATLANTIC CITY AROUND 2 A.M. TUESDAY.  PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA LATE ON SUNDAY SIGNED AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION FOR THE STATE.  ATLANTIC CITY RESIDENTS SPENT THE DAY SUNDAY EVACUATING TO SAFER GROUND, WITH PEOPLE LINED UP AT THE CITY'S CONVENTION CENTER TO BOARD BUSES BOUND FOR MAINLAND SHELTERS.  NUMEROUS OTHER TOWNS ISSUED EVACUATION ORDERS, SOME MANDATORY AND SOME VOLUNTARY.  MORE THAN HALF OF THE STATE'S 590 SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE ANNOUNCED DECISIONS TO CANCEL CLASSES MONDAY WITH MANY ALREADY DECIDING TO REMAIN SHUT TUESDAY AS WELL.

  STATE POLICE IN SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA SAY A HEAD-ON COLLISION BETWEEN A SEDAN AND A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE HAS KILLED BOTH DRIVERS.  POLICE IN BUCKS COUNTY SAY THE CRASH WAS REPORTED AT ABOUT 7 A.M. SUNDAY ON ROUTE 663 IN MILFORD TOWNSHIP.  INVESTIGATORS SAID THE SOUTHBOUND SEDAN CROSSED INTO THE NORTHBOUND LANE OF TRAVEL AND COLLIDED WITH THE SUV.  THEY SAID 23-YEAR-OLD NICHOLAS UMBERGER OF QUAKERTOWN AND 52-YEAR-OLD TERRY CARROZZINO WERE PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE.

  VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WILL MAKE ONE OF HIS FINAL CAMPAIGN STOPS IN SCRANTON, THE CITY WHERE HE GREW UP.  THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN SAID THAT BIDEN WOULD BE AT AN EVENT ON THURSDAY, ALTHOUGH NO INFORMATION WAS IMMEDIATELY GIVEN ON THE LOCATION OR TIME.  BIDEN HAS MADE THE CITY A REGULAR STOP IN CAMPAIGN SEASONS AND VISITED THERE IN THE FINAL DAYS OF THE 2008 CAMPAIGN.  OBAMA HAS HELD PERSISTENT LEADS IN POLLING OF PENNSYLVANIANS, PROMPTING BOTH THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN AND REPUBLICAN NOMINEE MITT ROMNEY TO LARGELY SKIP OVER THE STATE.  BIDEN WAS LAST IN PENNSYLVANIA IN SEPTEMBER. 

  SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE SAY THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE COMBATED UNLESS PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO DISCUSS IT OPENLY.  AT A PANEL DISCUSSION SUNDAY NIGHT AT PENN STATE UNIVERSITY, TWO-TIME OLYMPIC SWIMMER MARGARET HOELZER, STATE REP. LOUISE WILLIAMS BISHOP AND CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MALESURVIVOR, SHARED PERSONAL STORIES OF BEING ABUSED AS CHILDREN BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF ABOUT 150 PEOPLE.  WILLIAMS BISHOP SAID THE SEX ABUSE SCANDAL INVOLVING FORMER PENN STATE ASSISTANT COACH JERRY SANDUSKY WAS JUST A CONVERSATION STARTER BECAUSE SEXUAL ABUSE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS.  SAID ANDERSON, "THERE ARE SANDUSKYS IN ALMOST EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES.  THERE ARE SURVIVORS IN EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES."  THE PANEL DISCUSSION WAS THE OPENING SESSION OF A THREE-DAY CONFERENCE ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE.