Superstorm carves a path of destruction from Caribbean to Canada leaving at least 110 people dead
TAXIPOOL: Taxis sit in a flooded lot after Hurricane Sandy in Hoboken, New Jersey. — AFP photo
NEW YORK: New Yorkers struggled to restore power and clear debris yesterday after superstorm Sandy carved a path of destruction from the Caribbean to Canada that left at least 110 people dead.
The massive cyclone that drove hurricane-force winds and deadly ocean surges against a large swathe of the US East Coast was still generating blizzards in the Appalachians, as millions remained without power and transport was snarled.
Less than a week before Americans go to the polls, President Barack Obama planned to tour flooded areas alongside New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a backer of his Republican rival Mitt Romney.
Romney was meanwhile set to return to the campaign trail in Florida after canceling events Monday and Tuesday to focus on rescue and recovery work, with the race still too close to call as a storm-imposed truce gradually unravelled.
The death toll from accidents related to the storm rose to 43 in North America since Sandy made landfall on Monday, with 67 killed earlier as the then-hurricane tore through the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, authorities and citizens in America’s biggest city struggled to restore vital services and clear debris after a wall of storm-driven seawater swamped road and rail tunnels and triggered massive fires.
“Restoring power and mass transit remain the two biggest challenges in the days ahead,”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters, as rescue crews and utility workers surveyed an apocalyptic scene.
“This is the end of the downside, and hopefully from here it is going up,” Bloomberg said.
TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION: Aerial views shows 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. — Reuters photo
In the ocean-front Queens neighbourhood of Breezy Point, more than 80 houses burned after flooding caused a fire, while lower Manhattan – New York’s iconic high-rise financial center – was blacked out by a massive power cut.
The New York subway system, much of which was flooded by seawater, was still gripped by what management dubbed its worst disaster in its 108-year history.
Obama, who faces a tough re-election battle on Nov 6, sent his support.
“America is with you. We are standing behind you and we are going to do everything we can to help you get back on your feet,” he said.
The president said he would tour New Jersey on Wednesday after Christie, the state’s Republican governor, reported “unthinkable” devastation in submerged coastal communities.
Daylight brought surreal images of the storm’s devastation: a boat washed onto a railway track in New York state, cars bobbing like corks in submerged New York City parking lots, and a neighbourhood in Queens burnt to cinders. — AFP