As millions have been left reeling from the force and destruction of superstorm Sandy and the death toll continues to climb, the hardest hit areas on the East Coast are beginning to take the first steps towards recovery.
Sandy's wrath killed at least 39 people in seven states, according to The Associated Press, and left more than 8 million customers without power. The died as the storm tore through states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.
The power outages were spread over 18 states, from Virginia to Maine, and while the number of customers affected was 8 million, the number of people living without power would be several times that number.
President Obama issued disaster declarations for New York and New Jersey so that federal aid will be offered to the affected areas to help supplement state and local clean-up efforts.
Hurricane Sandy: Full Coverage
During a visit to the Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., this afternoon, Obama sent a very clear message to federal agencies.
"Do not figure out why we can't do something. I want you to figure out how we do something," the president said. "I want you to cut through red tape. I want you to cut through bureaucracy. There's no excuse for inaction at this point. I want every agency to lean forward and to make sure that we are getting the resources where they need -- where they're needed as quickly as possible."
Superstorm Sandy Storm Surge in New York City
Watch Video Superstorm Sandy: NYU Hospital Evacuated in New York
Watch Video Superstorm Sandy: Devastation in NYC Boroughs
Watch Video The president said mayors and governors who run into any trouble can call him directly at the White House. He praised the heroic efforts of rescuers and helpful community members, but emphasized that recovery is going to take some time.
"It is not going to be easy for a lot of these communities to recover swiftly, and so it is going to be important that we sustain that spirit of resilience, that we continue to be good neighbors for the duration until everybody is back on their feet," Obama said.
Among the hardest hit were New Jersey and New York where public transportation was shut down, millions lost power and storm surges swamped cars, homes, businesses and boardwalks.
But in the wake of the devastation, states are beginning to make moves toward comebacks.
For more on superstorm Sandy's impact, tune in to a special 1-hour broadcast of tonight at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
In New York, the New York Stock Exchange is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday after being closed for an unprecedented two days.
Public transportation in the city screeched to a halt as the subway system, rail yards and bus depots were flooded, in what officials called the biggest disaster of its 108 years in existence.
"The New York City subway system ... has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night," MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said in a statement.
All New York bridges into Manhattan were reopened today and limited bus service will resume this evening. Officials hope to have power restored to New York in two to three days and aim to have the subways running in three to four days, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. It will take about a week for PATH trains between New Jersey and New York to resume service.
"This was a devastating storm, maybe the worst that we have ever experienced," Bloomberg said at a news conference today.
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