海角大神

After Sandy, residents 'feeling anxious' about fuel supplies

Sandy's toll was still being tallied Thursday, as clean-up efforts continued in New York City and surrounding areas. Concerns about safety, fuel shortages, and property damage are on people's minds. 

Rescuers searched flooded homes for survivors, drivers lined up for hours to get scarce gasoline and millions remained without power on Thursday as听New York听City and nearby towns struggled to recover from one of the biggest storms to hit the听United States.

New York听subway trains crawled back to limited service after being shut down since Sunday, but the lower half of Manhattan still lacked power and surrounding areas such as听Staten Island, the听New Jersey听shore and the city of听Hoboken听remained crippled from a record storm surge and flooding.

At least 95 people died in the "superstorm" that ravaged the听Northeastern United States听on Monday. Officials said the number could rise as rescuers searched house-by-house in coastal towns.

"I worked all my life, and everything I had is right there," said听Bob Stewart, 59, standing on the Jersey Shore beach in the town of Seaside Heights and looking at the pile of debris that was once his home. "I put my life right there."

New Jersey听Governor听Chris Christie听said on Thursday that nearly a 1,000 people had been rescued by authorities.

In blackened听New York听City neighborhoods, some residents complained there was a lack of police and feared an increase in crime. Some were also concerned about traffic safety. New York police officials were not immediately available to comment.

"People feel safe during the day but as soon as the sun sets, people are extremely scared. The fact that Guardian Angels are on the streets trying to restore law just shows how out of control the situation is in lower Manhattan," said听Wolfgang Ban, owner of Edi &听The Wolf restaurant听in Manhattan's Alphabet City neighborhood.

The Guardian听Angels are a group of anti-crime volunteers.

More than 15 people in the borough of Queens were charged with looting, and a man was charged on Thursday with threatening another driver with a gun after he tried to cut in on a line of cars waiting for gas, Queens District Attorney听Richard Brown听蝉补颈诲.听

The financial cost of the storm promised to be staggering. Disaster modeling company听Eqecat听estimated听Sandy听caused up to $20 billion in insured losses and $50 billion in economic losses, double its previous forecast.

At the high end of the range,听Sandy听would rank as the fourth costliest U.S. catastrophe ever, according to the Insurance Information Institute, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Power out, gas shortage听

The presidential campaign was back in full swing on Thursday after being on hold for several days because of the storm. President听Barack Obama, locked in a tight race with Republican challenger Mitt Romney head of next Tuesday's election, appeared to gain politically from his disaster relief performance.

Christie, a vocal Romney supporter, praised Obama, and New York Mayor听Michael Bloomberg, a political independent, endorsed Obama on Thursday.

In听New York,听U.N. headquarters听suffered severe damage and U.N. Secretary-General听Ban Ki-moon听offered recovery help to the听United States听and听Caribbean听nations affected by the storm.

The hunt for gasoline added to a climate of uncertainty as听Sandy's death toll and price tag rose.

"I'm so stressed out," said听Jessica Bajno, 29, a teacher from听Elmont, Long Island, who was waiting in line for gas. "I've been driving around to nearby towns all morning, and being careful about not running out of gas听in the process. Everything is closed. I'm feeling anxious."

Some residents may lack electricity for weeks.听New York听utility听Consolidated Edison听restored power to 250,000 customers, with 650,000 others still in the dark.

The vast majority will be restored by the weekend of Nov. 10-11, but "the remaining customer restorations could take an additional week or more," the company said.

Advertising creative director听Chris Swift, 37, lost power in his apartment in Manhattan's听Chelsea听district on Monday and by Thursday he was so fed up he got on a bus to听Boston.

"I tried 20 (New York听City) hotels on foot as couldn't call them with no battery left on my phone, but they were all booked. I tried to get to (friends in) Brooklyn but cabs would not take me as they were running out gas," he said.

About 4.6 million homes and businesses in 15 U.S. states were without power on Thursday, down from a record high of nearly 8.5 million.

More deaths were recorded overnight in the听New York听borough of听Staten Island, where authorities recovered 17 bodies after the storm lifted whole houses off their foundations. Among the dead were two boys, aged 4 and 2, who were swept from their mother's arms by the floodwaters, police said.

In all, 39 people died in听New York听City, officials said.

"It was like living through Titanic but on ground," said听Krystina Berrios, 25, of听Staten Island, looking at her bedroom caked in mud, furniture upended. "You would never think in a million years having to live through something like this."

Jersey shore floored听

Sandy听started as a late-season hurricane in the听Caribbean, where it killed 69 people, before smashing ashore in the United States with 80-mile-per-hour (130-kph) winds. It stretched from the听Carolinas听to听Connecticut听and was the largest storm by area to hit the听United States听in decades.

In听New Jersey, where entire neighborhoods in oceanside towns were swallowed by seawater and the听Atlantic City听boardwalk was destroyed, the death toll rose to 13.

Floodwaters receded from the streets of听Hoboken,听New Jersey, across the Hudson River from Manhattan, leaving behind a smelly mess of submerged basements and cars littering the sidewalks.

"The water was rushing in. It was like a river coming," said听Benedicte Lenoble, a photo researcher from听Hoboken. "Now it's a mess everywhere. There's no power. The stores aren't open. Recovery? I don't know."

New Jersey听natives听Bruce Springsteen听and听Jon Bon Jovi听will headline a benefit concert for storm victims Friday on NBC television, the network announced.

The听Federal Emergency Management Agency听agreed to cover 100 percent of emergency power and public transportation costs through Nov. 9 for affected areas of听New York听and听New Jersey, up from the traditional share of 75 percent.

More than 36,000 disaster survivors from听New York, New Jersey and听Connecticut听have applied for federal disaster assistance and more than $3.4 million in direct assistance has already been approved,听White House听spokesman听Jay Carney听said.

The听Pentagon听was airlifting power restoration experts and trucks from听California听to听New York听to assist millions of people still living in darkness.

Fuel supplies into听New York听and听New Jersey听were hit by idled refineries, a closed New听York Harbor, damages to import terminals, and a closed oil pipeline.

The scarcity of fuel, electricity and supplies made cleanup more daunting for barrier towns.

Seaside Heights residents who obeyed the mandatory evacuation order were cut off from their homes. The entire community was submerged by the storm surge, which washed over the island and into the bay that separates it from the mainland.

Chris Delman, 30, saw a photograph of his house in a local newspaper on Wednesday. It was still standing.

"We ain't living in Seaside no more, that's obvious," Delman said. "I just want to know what I have left."