SANDY LEAVES death, darkness and destruction

US: Superstorm Sandy finally receded Tuesday, but only after carving a trail of destruction from the Caribbean to Canada that left more than 100 dead, New York in chaos and millions without power.

The storm, which claimed 67 lives in the Caribbean and at least 42 in the United States including 18 in New York City, added an uncertain twist to the US presidential race, striking one week before the nation votes in a cliffhanger election. President Barack Obama declared a “major disaster” in New York and New Jersey as he and Republican rival Mitt Romney cancelled a second day of campaign events to focus on Sandy's victims.

“The most important message I have for them is that 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,” Obama said.

The President said he would tour New Jersey on Wednesday after the state's governor, Chris Christie, told of “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, a neighborhood in Queens burnt to a cinder.

More than eight million homes and businesses from the Carolinas to Maine were without power Tuesday, the Department of Energy said.

AFP