Jobless claims soar after Hurricane Sandy

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-soar-after-hurricane-sandy-2012-11-15

Storm damage boosts requests for benefits by 78,000 to 439,000

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The number of Americans who sought unemployment benefits last week jumped to an 18-month high, largely a side-effect of the superstorm that battered parts of the East Coast.

First-time jobless claims soared by 78,000 to a seasonally adjusted 439,000 in the week ended Nov. 10, the Labor Department said. A government spokesman said applications surged in the parts of the country that lay in the path of Hurricane Sandy.