Hurricane Sandy aftermath

New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers using a special pump train to pump water out of the flooded Cranberry Street tunnel which carries the A and C trains between Brooklyn and Manhattan underneath the East River in New York on Nov. 2.

A couple looks into a restaurant with electricity in the West Village as much of the neighborhood is still without power in New York on Nov. 2. Parts of the city are regaining power after being without since Hurricane Sandy hit earlier in the week.

Eddie Liu uses a broom to clean up mud and water from extensive flooding in a laundromat due to superstorm Sandy in the Coney Island neighborhood of New York Nov. 2. Four days after superstorm Sandy smashed into the U.S. Northeast, rescuers on Friday were still discovering the extent of the death and devastation in New York and the New Jersey shore, and anger mounted over gasoline shortages, power outages and waits for relief supplies.

Mac Abrotsky uses his gas stove to heat his 5th floor apartment in a high-rise apartment building that remains devoid of power, heat, and water in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of New York, Nov 2.

People look for salvageable food amongst discarded items outside a flooded deli in Coney Island on Nov. 2. Large areas of the city are still without power or functioning stores to buy food and water.

Sal Quartucio, right, shown with niece Rachel Krinner, looks for belongings amongst the ashes of what used to be his home Nov. 2 in Bayville, N.J.. Sal and Elaine Quartucio's home burned down the night Hurricane Sandy hit the surrounding area.

Bonnie Miller, right, cries with her sister-in-law Kelly Borden after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addressed a gathering on Nov. 2, in Brick, N.J., after he toured some of the region devastated by Monday's storm surge. Miller stayed in her home that was severely damaged during the storm.

Pedestrians and cyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge on the night of Nov.2. The first half of the bridge leading from Manhattan was dark, part of the power outage lower Manhattan has endured since Superstorm Sandy.

James Traina climbs over the remains of his parents' house on Nov., which was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in Staten Island, N.Y.

Spilled fuel and pollutants flow in the Arthur Kill major navigational channel, for the Port of New York and New Jersey in Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 2.

Kimberly and Ryan Kelliher ride their scooters on a piece of boardwalk that was washed along Beach 91st street in the Rockaways section of Queens, N.Y., on Nov. 2.

Workers repair a traffic light damaged by Hurricane Sandy, on Central Park West in New York City, on Nov. 2.

People withdraw money from a mobile ATM machine set up in a van in Hoboken, N.J., on Nov. 2. The mobile ATM gives residents a chance to get cash in Hoboken, which is still blacked out following Superstorm Sandy.

Ben Fishner and Rachel Finkelstein deliver water and ready-to-eat meals to needy residents of the Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 2. The residents currently have no water or electricity due to Superstorm Sandy.

Homes that look out onto beaches were swept away by a storm surge caused by Superstorm Sandy in Staten Island, N.Y., on Nov. 2.

Members of the Traina family sort through photographs and other personal items that they were salvaging from their home on Nov. 2. The home was completely destroyed by flood water storm surge from Hurricane Sandy, on the south side of hard-hit Staten Island in New York City.

Messages about Hurricane Sandy are posted in the window of a housewares store on Nov. 2 in New York as the city recovers from the effects of the storm.

People use phones supplied by FEMA on Nov. 2 in a parking lot to begin the process of getting disaster relief as the city tries to recover from the after effects of Hurricane Sandy in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

A worker shovels sand out of homeowner Sandy Forino's living room in Longport, N.J., on Nov. 2.

Men try to clean up the destruction in a flooded deli in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on Nov. 2.

Abandoned and flooded cars lie in the heavily damaged Rockaway neighborhood on Nov. 2 in Queens where a large section of the iconic boardwalk was washed away by superstorm Sandy.

Steve Santo stands in what used to be the kitchen of his house, destroyed by storm surge flooding in Staten Island, on Nov. 2.

A young woman helps bag Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) for distribution to the residents of the Lower East Side who remain without power due to Hurricane Sandy, on Nov. 2 in New York.

A gasoline station without gas in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Nov. 2.

People wait in line to receive food donations from the American Red Cross in Long Beach, N.Y. on Nov. 2.

Commuters walk through Grand Central Station on Nov. 2 in New York City. Limited public transit has returned to New York.

The midtown skyline remains lit as Lower Manhattan remains mostly without power on Nov. 1 in New York City.

A black drum fish at Coney Island's New York Aquarium swims in the water of the "Sea Cliffs" exhibit on Nov. 1, in front of flood waters that inundated the aquarium during superstorm Sandy. Unless power is restored soon, the aquarium says it may have to relocate 12,000 creatures, including walruses, sharks, sea turtles, penguins and a giant octopus.

People travel in a bus from Manhattan back to Brooklyn in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York on Nov. 1. New York subway trains crawled back to limited service after being shut down since Oct. 28, but the lower half of Manhattan still lacked power and surrounding areas such as Staten Island, the New Jersey shore and the city of Hoboken remained crippled from a record storm surge and flooding.

Grace Chow, 22, of New York, pours water from one bucket to another for a resident on the twentieth floor at Confucius Plaza in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York, on Nov. 1. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, power outages have also meant loss of water for some buildings. Chow and Matthew Hom, 26, also of New York, are volunteering for the New York United Dragon and Lion Dance group.

A mailman delivers mail to the New Dorp Beach neighborhood of Staten Island, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy, in New York City on Nov. 1.

A woman stands alone in water in front of destroyed homes on Cedar Grove Avenue in a neighborhood where many houses were heavily damaged from Hurricane Sandy, on the south side of the Staten Island section of New York City, on Nov. 1.

A woman covers her face in frustration while waiting for hours in line to get fuel outside at a gas station in the New York City borough of Queens on Nov. 1.

A man fights for his place in line while waiting to get fuel at a gas station in the New York City borough of Queens on Nov. 1. A fuel supply crisis is stalling the New York City area's recovery from Hurricane Sandy and reviving memories of the 1970s gasoline shortages stem from multiple factors, ranging from flooding to power outages to a diesel spill.

Utility crews work on power lines in response to superstorm Sandy as dusk falls in Ship Bottom, a community on Long Beach Island, N.J., on Nov. 1.

Representatives of the Indiana Task Force 1 from FEMA went door to door to check on the safety of residents on Nov. 1, in Point Lookout, N.Y.

Don Durando stands outside his home on New York Avenue in Long Beach, N.Y. on Nov. 1. Superstorm Sandy flooded his home and destroyed much of his belongings.

Bridget De La Torre holds her daughter Neve, 3, as daughter Paz sits by while they rest and charge devices at a shelter for those affected by Hurricane Sandy at Saints Peter and Paul Church on Nov. 1 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Bridget's family has no electricity or hot water and their car was destroyed by the flooding. They come to the shelter to charge devices and get news. Although flooding has subsided in Hoboken, many remain without power

Resident Nico DeGallo cooks food to be be distributed to other residents for free in Manhattan's East Village following Superstorm Sandy on Nov. 1 in New York City.

A heavily damaged carousel sits inside Keansburg Amusement Park after Hurricane Sandy swept across the region, on Nov. 1 in Keansburg, N.J.

Vanessa Martinez holds remains of photographs of her family outside her destroyed house on Cedar Grove Avenue in her neighborhood where many houses were completely destroyed by storm surge flooding from Hurricane Sandy on the south side of the Staten Island borough of New York City, on Nov. 1.

Dulce Espino and Viridiana Cruz weep as they embrace along Cedar Grove Avenue in their neighborhood where many houses were completely destroyed by storm surge flooding from Hurricane Sandy on the south side of the Staten Island section of New York City, on Nov. 1.

Joseph Bianco walks alongside a wagon with all that remains from his family's burned home in Breezy Point on Nov. 1 after Hurricane Sandy left millions without power or water in the Queens borough of New York.

Utility vehicles and crews from California are off-loaded from Air Force Air Mobility Command Aircraft at Stewart ANGB in Newburgh, N.Y. on Nov. 1. The trucks were flown from March Air Force Base in California to help restore the electrical system shut down by super storm Sandy in New York and New Jersey.

Joe Gallagher carries his aunt Kathleen Fitzsimmons on Nov. 1 in Breezy Point, N.Y. Fitzsimmons collapsed after viewing the burned-out remains of the home that had been in her family since 1928. Residents returned to their devastated homes after Superstorm Sandy and a fire there that destroyed over 100 homes.

Clifford Seay helps his girlfriend, Regina Yahara-Splain, clean out her home in Highlands, NJ on Nov. 1. Superstorm Sandy, which has left millions without power or water, continues to affect business and daily life throughout much of the eastern seaboard.

Belmar volunteer firefighter Mike McCormick pauses at a stop sign while paddling a canoe down streets heavily flooded by Hurricane Sandy in Belmar, N.J. on Nov. 1. Superstorm Sandy has paralyzed much of the East Coast, causing an estimated billions in damages and killing dozens of people.

People wait for hours with gas canisters at a Gulf gas station on Nov. 1 in Manalapan, N.J. With power out in many parts of the state and so few stations open in certain areas, gas is in heavy demand for both vehicles and generators. Superstorm Sandy, which has left millions without power or water, continues to affect business and daily life throughout much of the eastern seaboard.

A man stands next to a damaged vehicle as he surveys flood damaged personal property thrown into the streets in the New Dorp Beach neighborhood of Staten Island on Nov. 1.

Carlos Arias removes bags of storm-damaged household items from his home and piles them in the street in the oceanside community of Far Rockaway, N.Y., on Nov. 1. National Guard and federal emergency management officials will deliver 1 million meals and bottled water to New York's areas hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy.

National Guard troopers load food and water onto trucks to distribute to those in need, as the city tries to recover from the after effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York City on Nov. 1.

Ben Mancuso, owner of Puglia By The Sea restaurant, stands amid the remains of the building that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on the south shore of the Staten Island section of New York City, on Nov. 1.

A New York City fire fighter walks amid destroyed boats washed ashore into houses by Hurricane Sandy on Tennyson Drive, on the south side of the Staten Island section of New York City, on Nov. 1.

Jane Caravello pauses for a moment after wading a couple hundred yards from her house on Kissam Avenue in Staten Island, on Nov. 1. "Half of if is down there and the other half is on Beach Ave," she says. The roof blew off during the storm so her belongings are spread over a couple of blocks. Her son Vincent Caravello helped her find the important papers but not the photo album.

The site where George Dresch's house stood before it was slammed by Hurricane Sandy. Dresch and his daughter Angela, 13, died when their home was flattened from Hurricane Sandy's storm surge, which sent over eight feet of water into the neighborhood. George's wife, Patricia, is reported to be in critical condition. George had been reluctant to leave his home because when they evacuated for Hurricane Irene, their home was looted while they were gone

John Dellorusso looks over his backyard which now contains the debris from a nearby restaurant, on Nov. 1 in Staten Island. His home, at right, was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

What's left of John Dellorusso's kitchen in Staten Island, on Nov. 1.

People walk on the beach past the remnants of the Spring Lake boardwalk which was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Spring Lake, N.J., on Nov. 1.

Debris lies on the boardwalk in front of the Casino Pier, which was partially destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on Nov. 1 in Seaside Heights, N.J..

Women stand on a piece of the devastated Rockaway beach boardwalk that was blown onto Beach 91st street by Hurricane Sandy, in the Queens borough of New York, on Nov. 1.

Noel McKenna uses a flashlight to sort through a closet as he helps the Colabella family clean up their home, which was flooded in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, on Nov. 1, in Brick, N.J.

Chris Zaturoski uses a garden hose to attempt to siphon gasoline from his car to use in a generator at his house which is without power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy on Nov. 1, in Little Ferry, N.J. The hose was too big to fit into the gas tank of the car.

At dawn a digger begins removing sand from beachfront properties heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy, in Bay Head, N.J., on Nov. 1.

A man waits in line on 10th avenue to get gasoline for his car at a gas station as the city tries to recover from the after effects of Hurricane Sandy in New York City on Nov. 1.

People scramble for food and supplies being handed outside a grocery store damaged by Hurricane Sandy in the Rockaways section in Queens, N.Y. on Nov. 1.

Commuters ride the F train in New York City on Nov. 1 as limited subway service returned.

People board the NY Waterways ferry with the Manhattan skyline in the background in Hoboken, N.J., on Nov. 1.

Commuters wait in a line to board buses into Manhattan in front of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 1. The line stretched twice around the arena and commuters reported wait times of one to three hours to get on a bus. Limited subway service returned to the city, but commuting was hampered by tunnels still flooded with water and limited train service.

In Manhattan, residents of the East Village charge their phones by generator on Oct. 31.

Members of the fire department extinguish a campfire built by people to keep warm in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, in New York City's Lower East Side on the night of Oct. 31.

People shop in a grocery store lit with a few lights by a portable generator on Bleeker Street in New York City, on Oct. 31.

The remains of a road are mired in debris and water from Superstorm Sandy in Mantoloking, N.J., on Oct. 31.

Blaine Badick and her fiancé Andrew Grapsas cross a flooded street with their dog while leaving their home in Hoboken, N.J., on Oct. 31.

Boats are strewn among buildings amid wreckage from Superstorm Sandy in Sea Bright, N.J., on Oct. 31.

Rob Kohler, an electrical line worker from Kokomo, Ind., clears snow-laden power lines in Terra Alta, W.Va., on Oct. 31. Hurricane Sandy mixed with colder temperatures in higher elevations and resulted in three feet of snow in some places.

Homes sit in ruin at the end of a bridge wrecked by flooding from Superstorm Sandy in Mantoloking, N.J., on Oct. 31.

Neighbors Bob Reilly, left, and Jim McGovern embrace among the burned-out remains of their Breezy Point, N.Y. homes, on Oct. 31. Breezy Point residents returned to their devastated homes after Hurricane Sandy and a massive fire during the storm destroyed over 100 tightly-packed homes.

A man attempts to walk across a fence surrounded by flood waters in Staten Island, N.Y., following Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31.

People line up for fuel in the corner of Hylan Boulevard and Reid Avenue in Staten Island, N.Y., in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31. New York City and the sodden Northeast U.S. began an arduous journey back to normal on Wednesday, after mammoth storm Sandy killed at least 64 people in a rampage that swamped coastal cities and cut power to millions.

Robert Justh drags a hose while attempting to drain a flooded basement, caused by Hurricane Sandy, in Long Beach, N.Y., on Oct. 31.

Shopping carts full of food damaged by Superstorm Sandy await disposal at the Fairway supermarket in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 31. The food was contaminated by flood waters that rose to approximately four feet in the store during the storm.

People walk amid the destruction left in the wake of Superstorm Sandy in Seaside Heights, N.J., on Oct. 31.

Food is handed out to residents by the Caring Foundation in the Rockaway section of Queens, N.Y., after Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31.

President Barack Obama hugs North Point Marina owner Donna Vanzant, as he tours damage done by Hurricane Sandy in Brigantine, N.J., on Oct. 31. Putting aside partisan differences, Obama and Republican Governor Chris Christie toured storm-stricken parts of New Jersey together, taking in scenes of flooded roads and burning homes in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Freddie Nocella, Jr., left, hands a vase to his grandfather Bill Schmith, as Schmith works to salvage belongings from his heavily damaged home in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, on Oct. 31 in Babylon Village, N.Y.

In this photo taken on Tuesday, utility trucks and first responders navigate flood waters on the main stretch of road in Peahala Park, N.J., in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 30.

Joseph Leader, Metropolitan Tranportation Authority Vice President and Chief Maintenance Officer, shines a flashlight on standing water inside the South Ferry 1 train station in New York City on Oct. 31 in the wake of superstorm Sandy. The floodwaters that poured into New York's deepest subway tunnels may pose the biggest obstacle to the city's recovery from the worst natural disaster in the transit system's 108-year history.

Men dig trenches for water being pumped out of flooded basements on Oct. 31 in Long Beach, N.Y.The storm has claimed many lives in the United States and has caused massive flooding across much of the Atlantic seaboard. U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the situation a 'major disaster' for large areas of the U.S. east coast, including New York City, with widespread power outages and significant flooding in parts of the city.

Two secret service members scan the area as US President Barack Obama visits a neighborhood on Oct. 31 in Brigantine, N.J. Americans sifted through the wreckage of superstorm Sandy on Oct. 31 as millions remained without power. The storm carved a trail of devastation across New York City and New Jersey, killing dozens of people in several states, swamping miles of coastline, and throwing the tied-up White House race into disarray just days before the vote.

A vehicle is seen submerged in a pit of water beside other debris following Hurricane Sandy, in Seaside Heights, N.J. on Oct. 31.

Pedestrians pass by a tree that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in Washington on Oct. 31. The U.S. Northeast began an arduous slog back to normal on Oct. 31 after historic storm Sandy crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people with a massive storm surge that caused epic flooding.

A house floats in the bay after it was washed from its foundation during Hurricane Sandy in Manotoloking, New Jersey on Oct. 31. The U.S. Northeast began an arduous slog back to normal on Oct. 31 after historic monster storm Sandy crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people with a massive storm surge that caused epic flooding.

A patient is wheeled out of Bellevue Hospital during an evacuation in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York on Oct. 31. Flooding and power outtages led to the evacuation of 750 patients.

Damage is viewed in the Rockaway neighborhood where the historic boardwalk was washed away during Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 31 in the Queens borough of New York City.

A car that was washed in from Hurricane Sandy is buried in sand that on Oct. 31 in Long Beach Island, N.J..

People wait to use a pay phone on Bright Beach Avenue, on Oct. 31 in the Brooklyn borough of New York.

People crowd into a Chase Bank ATM kiosk to charge phones and laptops at 40th Street and 3rd Avenue, one block north of where power has gone out, on Oct. 31, in New York City. "This is the modern campfire," one man said.

People shop for food piled into shopping carts on Brighton Beach Avenue, on Oct. 31 in the Brooklyn borough of New York.

Renter Donna McBride reacts to seeing the damage done to her home by the storm surge of Hurricane Sandy in Lindenhurst, N.Y., on Oct. 31.

A man walks past the remains of a building near a damaged section of boardwalk in the wake of superstorm Sandy, on Oct. 31 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Hoboken residents navigate the floodwaters from Hurricane Sandy as they emerge from their apartments, and in some cases return to remove valuables, on Oct. 31 in Hoboken, N.J.

A dog named Shaggy is handed from a National Guard truck to National Guard personnel after the dog and his owner left a flooded building in Hoboken, N.J., on Oct. 31.

Workers try to clear boats and debris from the New Jersey Transit's Morgan draw bridge on Oct. 31 in South Amboy, N.J., after the storm surge from Sandy pushed boats and cargo containers onto the train tracks.

Rey Erney, right, plugs his phone in on a neighbor's front steps in Hoboken, N.J. on Oct. 31. "We don't know anything. It's very difficult to get information from the police or fire department. PSEG doesn't even have power at their own location yet." Even though he doesn't know them he says "We have the best neighbors, it's very generous of them to let us charge."

The remains of homes burned down in the Rockaways during Superstorm Sandy are viewed on Oct. 31 in Queens, New York.

The foundations to the historic Rockaway boardwalk are all that remain after it was washed away during Hurricane Sandy in the Queens borough of New York City, on Oct. 31.

Commuters make their way across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Oct. 31.

A man looks towards the New York Stock Exchange as he returns to work on Wall Street on Oct. 31 as New Yorkers cope with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

The boardwalk and waterfront properties sustain heavy damaged after Hurricane Sandy, in Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 31.

Superstorm Sandy left a destructive wake in Breezy Point, Queens, in New York City on Oct. 31.

John Kemp, from Ocean Pines, Md., carries a case of water and coffee as he wades to his in-laws' home after Superstorm Sandy, on Oct. 31.

At dawn, a police car patrols an empty waterfront neighborhood that lost power as a result of Hurricane Sandy, in Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 31.

A man takes a picture of the John B. Caddell, a 700-ton tanker that washed ashore on Staten Island in New York City during a storm surge caused by Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 31.

Residents walk on a street covered in beach sand due to flooding from Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31 in Long Beach, N.Y.

The South Ferry subway station in New York remains flooded with seawater on Oct. 31 following Hurricane Sandy.

Aerial views of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, taken during a search and rescue mission by 1-150 Assault Helicopter Battalion, New Jersey Army National Guard, on Oct. 30.

A group of teenagers hang out in front of a boarded-up store following Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 30 in Belmar, N.J.

Peter Andrews removes belongings from his father's beachfront home, destroyed in the aftermath of the storm surge from Superstorm Sandy, on Oct. 30, in Coney Island's Sea Gate community in New York. Andrews, 40, who was born in the house, said "we had a lot of storms and the only damage in the past was when a national guardsman threw a sandbag through the window." He added, the house was in the process of being sold.

Aerial views of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey shoreline, taken during a search-and-rescue mission by the New Jersey Army National Guard on Oct. 30.

Robert Connolly, left, embraces his wife Laura as they survey the remains of the home owned by her parents that burned to the ground in the Breezy Point section of New York, on Oct. 30. More than 80 homes were destroyed by the fire that swept through the oceanfront community during superstorm Sandy. At right is their son, Kyle.

A blacked out lower Manhattan seen from Dumbo, Brooklyn, after Hurricane Sandy on the evening of Oct. 30.

People congregate in front of a building in New York City that still has wireless internet access in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy on the night of Oct. 30.

People congregate in front of a building that still has wireless internet access in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York on Oct. 30.

Stephanie Sikaris, of Union, N.J. (with red bandana) waits in line with others to fill up her gas containers at an Exxon station on Route 22 on Oct. 30. She needs the gas to feed the generator she bought on Oct. 29 from Home Depot. "This looks like it may take a while (to get the power on) but hey, it could be worse, right?" she said.

Firefighters work in the Breezy Point neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City on Oct. 30, where over 80 homes were destroyed in a fire during Hurricane Sandy.

This aerial photo shows burned-out homes in the Breezy Point section of the Queens borough New York after a fire that destroyed some 80 homes on Oct. 30.

Sebastian Romatowski wades through knee-deep water across from his home, background, right, on 2nd Avenue that was flooded from the effects of Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 30 in Bayville, N.Y. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Oct. 29, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses.

Workers from local power company Pepco repair power lines in the Woodley Park neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 30 in Washington, D.C. The death toll from superstorm Sandy has risen to at least 35 in the United States and Canada, and was expected to climb further as several people remained missing, officials said. Officials in the states of Connecticut, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia all reported deaths from the massive storm system, while Toronto police said a Canadian woman was killed by flying debris.

Cars traveling the Grafton road, south of Morgantown, W.Va., turn through fallen trees and tree limbs resulting from a heavy snowfall on the morning of Oct. 30. The storm that hit late Oct. 29 and into the next day dumped up to 19 inches of snow in West Virginia, cutting electricity to about 268,000 customers at its peak and closing dozens of roads.

Homes are flooded after Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the southern New Jersey coastline in Tuckerton, N.J. on Oct. 30. In the storm's wake, President Obama issued federal emergency decrees for New York and New Jersey, declaring that "major disasters" existed in both states. One disaster-forecasting company predicted economic losses could ultimately reach $20 billion, only half insured.

Residents survey the damage after Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 30 in Ocean City, N.J. Sandy made landfall last night on the New Jersey coastline bringing heavy winds and record floodwaters. At least two dozen people were reported killed in the United States as millions of people in the eastern United States are experiencing widespread power outages, flooded homes and downed trees.

People take photos at water filling the Bowling Green subway station in Battery Park in New York on Oct. 30 as New Yorkers cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The storm left large parts of New York City without power and transportation.

Deputy Cliff Tice of the Dare County Sheriff's Department walks down damaged and impassable NC 12 leading into Mirlo Beach in Rodanthe, N.C. on Oct. 30. People on North Carolina's Outer Banks are facing some flooding and damage from Hurricane Sandy, but emergency management officials say it could have been worse. North Carolina Transportation Department spokeswoman Greer Beaty said the highway was closed Oct. 30 until crews could inspect the road.

People in New York's Tribeca neighborhood, without power because of superstorm Sandy, wait for a chance to charge their mobile phones on an available generator setup on a sidewalk, Oct. 30.

A man bails out his car that got flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York on Oct. 30.

People walk across the Brooklyn Bridge on Oct. 30 as train service is still shut down after Hurricane Sandy's passage through New York City.

Miatid Amini makes his way with his family onto John Mercadante's truck in Moonachie, N.J. on Oct. 30, assisted by Frank Mercadante, right.

Powerful storm surges from Hurricane Sandy caused a 170-foot long tanker to run aground in Staten Island, N.Y. on Oct. 30. The storm caused severe flooding and damage including power outage for millions of New Yorkers.

Rod Zindani surveys the damage to his Best of New York Food Deli in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York on Oct. 30.

A fallen tree engulfs a vehicle on East Broadway in lower Manhattan, in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, on Oct. 30 in New York City.

Residents walk past debris near the Con Edison 14 street and Avenue C power plant in Manhattan's Lower East Side on Oct. 30.

An ambulance is stuck in over a foot of snow off of Highway 33 West, near Belington, W.Va. on Oct. 30. Superstorm Sandy buried parts of West Virginia under more than a foot of snow on Oct. 30, cutting power to at least 264,000 customers and closing dozens of roads. At least one death was reported. The storm not only hit higher elevations hard as predicted, communities in lower elevations got much more than the dusting of snow forecasters had first thought from a dangerous system that also brought significant rainfall, high wind gusts and small-stream flooding.

Foundations and pilings are all that remain of brick buildings and a boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., Oct. 30, after Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the East Coast.

Sand and debris covers the streets near the shore in Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 30.

People gather to watch the surf pound homes along the beach in Fairfield, Conn., on Oct. 30 after Hurricane Sandy came ashore.

Residents emerged on Oct. 30 to check out the damage in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, N.Y., following Hurricane Sandy.

A man walks past cottages damaged by Hurricane Sandy on Roy Carpenter's Beach in the village of Matunuck, in South Kingstown, R.I. on Oct. 30.

A firefighter leaves a destroyed home in Pasadena, Md., Oct. 30. The homeowner was killed overnight when a tree fell on his home during the passing storm.

An elderly resident is carried over flood waters brought on by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, N.J. on Oct. 30.

Glenn Heartley pulls on a rope attached to his car in Chincoteague, Va., Oct. 30. Heartley and his wife were swept off the road into the shallow creek during Hurricane Sandy's arrival on Oct. 29.

Emergency personnel rescue a resident from flood waters in Little Ferry, N.J. on Oct. 30.

Waves pound a lighthouse on the shores of Lake Erie on Oct. 30, near Cleveland. High winds spinning off the edge of Hurricane Sandy took a vicious swipe at northeast Ohio early Oct. 30, uprooting trees, cutting power to hundreds of thousands, closing schools and flooding parts of major commuter arteries that run along Lake Erie.

A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 30 in Hoboken, N.J.

Residents walk along Broadway Avenue as they inspect damage from Hurricane Sandy in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. on Oct. 30.

A fireman carries a resident's dog to safety from flood waters brought on by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, N.J. on Oct. 30.

People stand among homes devastated by fire and the effects of Hurricane Sandy at the Breezy Point section of the Queens borough of New York on Oct. 30.

A street sign is partially buried in sand on the morning of Oct. 30 in Cape May, N.J., after a storm surge from Sandy pushed the Atlantic Ocean over the beach and across Beach Avenue.

Residents make their way through flood waters brought on by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, N.J. on Oct. 30.

A videographer captures the scene where a tree crushed a house in Toronto on Oct. 30.

Residents walk by debris left by Hurricane Sandy on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Md. on Oct. 30.

A boat floats in the driveway of a home in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 30 in Lindenhurst, N.Y.

A man photographs a home damaged during a storm at Breezy Point in the New York City borough of Queens on Oct. 30. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses on the night of Oct. 29 in an area flooded by Hurricane Sandy.

Trent Risley, 11, looks at power lines knocked down by Hurricane Sandy in Scituate, Mass., on Oct. 30.

Boats piled up by storm surge and the high tide lie in a pile at a marina in East Quogue, N.Y. on Oct. 30.

Damage caused by a fire at Breezy Point on the morning of Oct. 30 in in the New York City borough of Queens. The fire destroyed between 80 and 100 houses on the previous night in the flooded neighborhood. More than 190 firefighters have contained the six-alarm blaze but they are still putting out some pockets of fire.

Emergency personnel rescue residents from flood waters brought on by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, N.J., on the morning of Oct. 30.

A dead deer is pictured with driftwood and debris left by a combination of storm surge from Hurricane Sandy and high tide in Southampton, N.Y. on Oct. 30.

Neighbors Lucille Dwyer and Linda Strong embrace after looking through the wreckage of their homes devastated by fire and the effects of Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point section of the Queens borough of New York on Oct. 31.

Water reaches street level of the West Street entrance to the flooded Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, on Oct. 30 in New York.

Sveinn Storm, owner of Storm Bros. Ice Cream Factory measures the flood waters outside his store in Annapolis, Md., on Oct. 30.

Kim Johnson looks over the destruction near her seaside apartment in Atlantic City, N.J., the morning of Oct. 30.

Elaine Belviso, 72, is rescued from her flooded home on Oct. 30 by Suffolk County police in Babylon, N.Y. after being trapped there overnight.

Cars floating in a flooded subterranian basement following Hurricaine Sandy on Oct. 30 in the Financial District of New York.

Alan Dean works to cut up a fallen tree blocking a road the morning after Hurricane Sandy swept through Westport, Mass. on Oct. 30.

A security guard walks through a flooded street in the financial district of Manhattan, New York early on Oct 30. NYSE Euronext said it is preparing to implement a new contingency plan to help resume stalled U.S. equity trading, and added that its famed trading floor is not yet damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

New York City firefighters battle a blaze on Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Belle Harbor, New York in the early hours on Oct. 30. In the nearby community of Breezy Point, 80 homes were destroyed by fire.