The destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy mounted today as electrical fires and record power outages added to the misery of devastating flooding in the Northeast of America. More than 7 million customers shivered without electricity in 10 states and the District of Columbia in Sandy's chilly wake. The storm also claimed at least 16 lives across the United States, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 84 after the storm wreaked havoc in the Caribbean.

Floodwaters rushed into New York's subway tunnels and ripped up part of Atlantic City's fabled boardwalk. Hundreds of people were stranded in one New Jersey town alone. Meanwhile, the stench of smoke was blown across flooded streets as fierce winds and rising waters shorted out power lines and sparked fires in places such as Lindenhurst, New York. At least 50 homes burned to the ground in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, fire officials said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known. More than 200 firefighters battled the leaping flames.

Elsewhere in New York City, emergency backup power failed and 10 feet of water flooded the basement of NYU Langone Medical Center, prompting the evacuation of 260 patients. Nurses manually pumped air to the lungs of those on respirators.