The United States is having Hurricane Sandy chugged toward the East Coast on Sunday, which could affect a big portion of the area, and officials warned of the potential for widespread destruction and disruption from mid-Atlantic to New England.

A volunteer from Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) hands sandbags to residents at a school parking lot ahead of approaching Hurricane Sandy, in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 28 October 2012. [CFP]

The National Hurricane Center warned Sunday residents of the mid-Atlantic coast should expect life-threatening storm surges, as Sandy is expected to be near hurricane force at landfall, forecast to be around Monday night.

New York Stock Exchange will close its physical trading floor and its New York building on Monday due to hurricane Sandy, while electronic trading will remain, according to the latest statement by the stock exchange on Sunday.

This will be the first time since 1985 for the NYSE to suspend its physical trading floor operations due to severe weather conditions.

According to U.S. National Hurricane Center, 38 people died when the powerful Hurricane Sandy crossed the Caribbean Sea.

Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights into airports along the US east coast ahead of the arrival of a major storm, hundreds of domestic flights have been called off. Some international flights into New York and Washington were also canceled on Monday.

The storm already has surpassed Hurricane Lili in 1996 as the second largest Atlantic storm in 24 years of storm-size record keeping.