Fuel shortages have become the latest problem for the Northeast in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. As power companies warned that electricity in some of the hard hit areas like New York City and coastal New Jersey could remain out until November 11, frustrated residents waited in line at gas stations for several hours to stock up on fuel for their cars or gas-powered generators. Police officers supervised some stations to prevent fights from starting while other stations refused to open until an officer arrived.
In New York City, commuters are still struggling to make it to work as flooding kept 9 of the 23 subway lines out of commission as of Thursday. Thousands of buses are trying to pick up the slack, but commuters are forced to wait hours in line. In an effort to keep traffic down and create transportation for stranded residents, authorities are enforcing passenger restrictions for cars entering Manhattan. Vehicles must be carrying at least 3 people to be allowed entry into the city.
Meanwhile, cold weather is adding to the tension surrounding massive power outages. Roughly 4.5 million homes and businesses in 15 states are currently without electricity. About 1.3 million of those customers are in New York and about 1.4 million are in New Jersey. National Guardsmen are being deployed in hard hit areas to distribute aid and help people still stranded in their homes.
On Thursday, the death toll from Sandy rose to 98. At least 40 of the deaths occurred in New York City and 13 occurred in New Jersey.
Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey Monday evening, colliding with cold Arctic air and a storm system from the west to create a violent superstorm.
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