Hurricane Sandy moved away from the Bahamas and powered toward the U.S. East Coast late Sunday. The category one storm, packing 75 mph winds, was about 260 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and moving northeast at 10 mph on Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Sandy was expected to continue moving parallel to the Southeast coast of the mid-Atlantic states Monday night.

The massive storm is likely to bring “life-threatening” storm-surge flooding to the mid-Atlantic coast, including Long Island and New York harbor, according to an NHC advisory. Airlines started moving planes out of airports to avoid damage and adding Sunday flights out of New York and Washington in preparation for flight cancellations on Monday, according to multiple press reports.

Delta Air Lines will allow customers whose flight plans are impacted by Hurricane Sandy to make one-time changes to their travel schedules through Oct. 31 without incurring fees. JetBlue Airways also waived change and cancellation fees for travelers on flights into New York; Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va.; Nassau, Bahamas; and airports in Florida and the Dominican Republic. American Airlines is waiving change and cancellation fees for flights to and from 22 East Coast cities through Oct. 31, for tickets issued by Oct. 26.

Hurricane Sandy caused up to 65 deaths across the Caribbean as of early Sunday, with 51 of the fatalities reported by authorities in Haiti. Deaths also have been reported in Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.