Hurricane Sandy Update: Death Toll at 40 as Storm Felt in Florida and Washington D.C. Braces for Impact

Already having left more than 40 people dead, Hurricane Sandy has made its presence felt in South Florida, roughing up beaches, and sending waves of water and sand into the streets in Fort Lauderdale Thursday.

Fort Lauderdale's WSVN.com reported at 4:30 p.m. Friday that while much of the storm avoided the mainland, the outer bands of the hurricane wreaked havoc in South Florida. The winds in Fort Lauderdale were strong enough to snap trees and powerlines, knock out traffic lights, cause damages to cars and forcing lifeguards to evacuate beaches.

The storm has also been eroding as much as 30 feet of beaches such as Hallandale Beach, as WSVN's Kevin Ozebek reported.

Early Friday morning, crews arrived near the beach of Fort Lauderdale for cleanup. As WSVN reported, Louise Orchard was driving through the area, but needed to find another route due to the sand and seawater piling up on the street.

"I was looking, and now the water is disappearing, and now I can go," she said. "It's OK, I think, but this way I don't know, so I'll see. I'll try."

The Los Angeles Times reported that President Obama was briefed Friday morning by telephone on preparations for the storm. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb and Homeland Security advisor John Brennan were in attendance for the briefing.

According to the White House, Obama directed FEMA "to ensure that all available federal resources are being brought to bear to support state and local responders," the Times reports.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for all of South Florida until 11 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post says, schools and federal agencies in the Washington area are bracing for the storm, which they expect to feel the effects of-including rains, winds and several days of flooding-beginning Sunday.

"It is possible areas from New York City and Long Island to New Jersey, the Delmarva and into the Philadelphia areas have some of their worst coastal flooding on record, depending on exactly where the storm tracks," wrote Alex Sosnowski, an expert senior meteorologist on Accuweather.com.

For more information on the storm, visit the National Weather Service web site at this link. And check out this link for apps available for download that track the whereabouts of Hurricane Sandy.