Hurricane batters Bahamas before likely heading up U.S. East Coast

By Neil Hartnell NASSAU (Reuters) - Slow-moving Hurricane Joaquin pounded the Bahamas for a second day with powerful winds and waves on Friday, but it was not expected to be a major threat to the U.S. East Coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. A westerly shift in the forecast track of Joaquin spared the Carolinas, New York and New Jersey, where Sandy killed more than 120 people and caused some $70 billion of property damage in October 2012. "A strong majority of forecast models i