A powerful nor’easter brought coastal flooding, heavy rain and damaging winds to the Mid-Atlantic and New England on Saturday, forcing residents to leave vulnerable homes and disrupting travel and events across the region. In Atlantic City, New Jersey, resident Talia Manno said waves reached halfway up the front steps of her home Saturday morning. The water rose to the fifth step, she said, recalling that the last time she saw flooding at that level was during Superstorm Sandy. Manno planned to spend Saturday night with family away from the coast. Nearly 80,000 customers in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts were without power by Saturday evening, according to PowerOutage.com. New Jersey and New York declared states of emergency in affected counties. The National Weather Service expected the storm to continue affecting the Jersey Shore, New York City and eastern Massachusetts into Sunday. Francis Tarasiewicz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Massachusetts, said coastal gusts could reach 60 mph. The storm arrived earlier than the region’s typical nor’easter season, which generally runs from October through May, and was expected to last longer than a typical system. Rather than a quick burst, he said, the region could see winds above 35 to 40 mph for about 48 hours. The weather snarled transportation. More than 1,000 flights were canceled Saturday, with thousands more delayed, according to FlightAware. Ferry services on Cape Cod and in Rhode Island were disrupted, and Amtrak canceled several trains because of weather and downed wires. The storm also prompted event changes. Maryland’s Oceans Calling music festival was canceled, an AC/DC concert in New Jersey was rescheduled, and the Boston Red Sox moved their game against the Chicago Cubs to Florida. Some plans went ahead despite the conditions. Jessica Lisboa, sailing from New York toward Bermuda, described the cruise as feeling like a roller coaster. In Wallkill, New York, Olga Ostrovetsky was preparing for an outdoor wedding in strong winds. She said the weather felt fitting because she and her fiancé first met during a torrential downpour. For coastal residents, the immediate concern was flooding. Manno said water levels seemed to be rising more often over the years and that she was unsure how much longer she would remain in the area. The storm’s impacts underscored the risks that coastal communities face when high water and prolonged winds coincide.