Nor'easter expected to disrupt travel, flood basements, knock out power along US East Coast

NEW YORK, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A strong nor'easter is expected to bring flooding, powerful wind gusts, heavy rain and rip currents to areas along the East Coast from Maine to Washington, DC over the weekend, and to affect flight schedules as world leaders leave New York City after the annual United Nations General Assembly session.

• The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that flights at all three major New York City area airportscould be disrupted by strong winds.

• American Airlines AAL.O, JetBlue JBLU.O and United Airlines UAL.O waived change fees for eligible flights, encouraging customers to postpone travel between Friday and Sunday in the Northeast.

• The National Weather Service said winds of up to 55 miles per hour (88.5 km/h) in some areas could make driving difficult.

• New York City officials warnedof possible basement flooding, power outages and travel disruptions.

• US passenger railroad Amtrak warned that service could be disrupted in the Northeast because of the storm.

• As the UN General Assembly wraps up, among those scheduled to address the world body this weekend are China's vice president and the foreign ministers of Canada, Germany, India and Russia. "The UN has always endured, and surmounted, stormy weather both outside and inside the building," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said when asked about the impending storm.