8m lose power as Sandy hammers New York causing £31bn damage

THESE scenes of complete devastation resemble the horrific aftermath of a giant tsunami in the Far East.

But this is New York after the unstoppable force of Superstorm Sandy laid it to waste yesterday.
Not even the shells of 100 homes in Breezy Point, Queens, remained after fires sparked by the terrifying weather ripped through them.

Surge ... Jersey feels the force of the storm

Charred bikes, washing machines and barely recognisable furniture were all that was left by the storm, which had claimed more than 50 lives along America’s East Coast by last night.
The toll was expected to rise significantly, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo saying: “I don’t think catastrophic or historic are too strong to explain the impact.”
Embattled Americans were warned that the cost of the disaster looked set to top £31billion.

Sunk ... Manhattan’s East Village

Superstorm Sandy: Death toll rises on US east coast

NEW YORK is hit by severe flooding, fires and blackouts as cyclone hits the Eastern Seaboard

Among the deaths in New York were 11-year-old Jack Baumler and Michael Robson, 13, who were killed by a falling tree in Westchester County.
One of the most horrific deaths saw a 22-year-old Queens woman electrocuted after stepping into a puddle near downed power lines.
Neighbour Mahendra Chetram, 35, said: “I saw the girl across the street taking pictures of the live wire sparking near my car so I ran outside to move it.

Flooded ... a casket floats from its grave in Maryland

“She was still taking pictures as I backed down the street. Then I heard a loud shriek and it looks like how it does in the movies. Her body was gyrating, smoke was coming from her and within 25 seconds she was out. No movement.”
Gusts of around 80mph saw a 3ft-wide branch fatally injure a 29-year-old man after crashing into his bedroom.
On Long Island dad-of-two John Miller, 39, was killed in front of his family after a tree fell on him as they prepared to flee.

Superstorm Sandy: New Jersey ravaged

STATE left looking like a scene from a disaster movie with empty flooded roads and huge areas without power

On Staten Island, an off-duty NYPD officer was killed while trying to rescue his family from their flooding South Beach home.
Also on the island, where a huge tanker washed up on shore, the body of 13-year-old Angela Dresch was found under rubble after her house was destroyed by a catastrophic wave.
According to reports her father is still missing, while her teacher mother is critical in hospital.

Destroyed ... home in East Haven, Connecticut

Neighbours said they ignored calls to leave because their home was looted during last year’s Tropical Storm Irene after they left.
Emergency workers were trying to save a further 60 people who stayed in their Fire Island homes. The storm, dubbed Frankenstorm after striking in Halloween week, took its first life in Canada as a falling sign hit a Toronto woman.
And a 62-year-old man was killed as he let his dog out on his porch in Oley, Pennsylvania.

Snuffed out ... Lower Manhattan after power cuts and, bottom, as it should look

Sandy has affected 60million people in the US and left almost eight million homes without power.
The black-out led to one New Yorker losing a hand after he lit a firework thinking it was a candle.
President Obama declared a “major disaster” in New York and Long Island as flooded streets were littered with cars, hospitals closed and transport systems shut down.

Safety ... man heads fro dry land with belongings and dog

Nurses at New York University Langone Medical Centre had to evacuate 260 patients after it was flooded and power went down.
Babies were carried down nine flights of stairs while having oxygen manually pumped into their lungs after respirators failed.
All of New York’s major airports and many more along the East Coast remained shut yesterday. The subway system and major routes in and out of Manhattan were also out of action after being flooded.

Donnie Wahlberg is a victim of Frankenstorm

SUPERSTORM Sandy floods New Kids On The Block star's entire New York apartment

The New York Stock Exchange, schools and Broadway theatres all remained closed last night.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: “This was a devastating storm — maybe the worst that we have ever experienced.
“The path of destruction that she left in her wake is going to be felt for quite some time and it will not be repaired overnight.”

In New Jersey half the town of Hoboken was under water. Mayor Dawn Zimmer said the Hudson River “filled it like a bathtub”.
There were also dangerous water levels reported at the state’s Oyster Creek nuclear park.
President Obama cancelled his campaign events ahead of Tuesday’s election to deal with the disaster.

Swamped ... a fleet of yellow cabs under water in flooded parking lot in Hoboken, New Jersey

He will visit storm-ravaged areas of the New Jersey shore.
And New Jersey’s Republican governor Chris Christie — a high profile supporter of Obama’s presidential rival Mitt Romney — called the President’s reaction “outstanding”.
Mr Obama yesterday told victims of the storm “America is with you”. Praising emergency services at the Red Cross HQ in Washington, he added: “This is not over and there are still communities that could be affected. Listen to state and local officials and follow instructions.

Knee deep ... rescuer carries a boy in street

“It’s not clear that we have counted up all the fatalities at this point and it is something that is heartbreaking for the entire nation.”
As America mourned its dead, 1,175 National Guard troops were mobilised to prevent looting on properties in New York and Long Island.
Rescuers in Philadelphia pulled a man from the wreckage of a collapsed building on Monday — and promptly arrested him for looting.

Run aground ... boat stuck on train tracks

Troublemakers took to Twitter threatening to ransack stores and burgle abandoned homes as Sandy wreaked havoc. And there were reports of looting in Queens.
New Yorkers without electricity were also said to be cracking open electricity boxes in the street to charge up their mobile phones.
Sandy — which had already claimed 67 lives as it swept through the Caribbean on its way to the US — was last night heading north.

UK airlines are hoping to resume flights to and from storm-lashed New York later today.
British Airways had to axe most of its services to New York and neighbouring Newark today, but hopes to get flights away to both cities later today.
It will be the first time since Sunday afternoon that BA has been able to operate to New York and Newark due to superstorm Sandy.
Virgin Atlantic, whose services have also been disrupted, is also hoping to fly to the two cities today.