Sandy caused a record surge of seawater in New York City, flooding subway and road tunnels and leaving much of Lower Manhattan without power.

 

An estimated 50 million people could be affected¹, with up to one million ordered to evacuate² homes.

 

At least five million people are without electricity.

 

The full extent of the damage may not be known until daybreak.

 

Public transport has been halted in several eastern cities, and thousands of flights have been grounded.

 

Both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt³ Romney cancelled campaign appearances little more than a week before the presidential election.

 

The storm made landfall close to Atlantic City in New Jersey⁴ at about 20:00 local time (midnight GMT), packing winds of more than 80mph (129km/h).

 

Much of Atlantic City was under water, and 30,000 residents were evacuated⁵.

 

America's oldest nuclear power plant, Oyster⁶ Creek⁷ in New Jersey, was put on alert due to rising water, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

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