this morning, the full scope of sandy's destruction. >> breaking overnight, new power outages in new york city, where hundreds of thousands remain in the dark. and where subways and a major airport are still underwater. but a new day brings promising, new developments. baring the brunt. new jersey shore towns tore apart by sandy. and inland, rescuers continue to save trapped residents. and a little levity overnight. the late-night comics make their return. good morning on this halloween, a holiday, really, in name only today for so many in

the wake of sandy. >> and let's start with the latest this morning. more than 8 million folks in areas affected by sandy are now without power. >> also, stock markets are reopening today after their two-day unscheduled stop for the storm. meanwhile, jfk and newark airports are also reopening with limited service today. but new york's la guardia airport, which looks more like a lake than it does an airport right now, that remains closed. also, president obama will visit hard-hit areas of new jersey today, touring those areas with governor christie. >> here in new york, most of lower manhattan remains without power this morning. here's a live image. in the foreground is brooklyn, where the power's on. but across the river, absolute blackout. the local utility, con ed, actually had to cut power to some areas of brooklyn and staten island overnight. and along the jersey shore, the view from the air revealing just how much devastation that popular tourist area suffered.

there's worries about leaking fuel in some still-flooded towns. new jersey governor chris christie is promising the area will be rebuilt. he says it won't be the same, though. and further from the east coast, sandy will go down as a massive snowmaker. one ski resort in west virginia reported three feet of mostly heavy, wet snow that was blown by 60-mile-per-hour winds. the weight of the snow was too much for some trees, many of which collapsed across roads, forcing those roads to close. >> the scope is just unbelievable. once again this morning, our broadcast is dedicated to the latest on the storm and its aftermath. >> and so, we begin with abc's mark greenblatt. he's in hard-hit lower manhattan this morning with the latest. good morning to you, mark. >> reporter: good morning to you. and most of the lights here in lower manhattan do remain out. but in a sign that life is at least beginning to get back to normal, in just a couple of hours we expect normal trading to resume on the floor of the new york stock exchange, after a

devastating storm. it was another night of no lights and no power for thousands in the big apple. and there's still no clear idea of when power will be restored. new york city, which shut down its entire mass transit system, will spend the next several days pumping out flooded tunnels, hoping to get everything moving again. in breezy point, new york, a beachfront community of firemen, policemen and blue-collar workers, are still taking stock from sandy and from a fire that destroyed more than 100 homes. >> nothing i could identify except for the kitchen tile and the bathroom tile. that's about it. >> reporter: the cause of the fire is unknown. new jersey took the brunt of sandy, though, with coastal communities hit especially hard. entire neighborhoods consumed by sand and water. >> we'll rebuild it. no question in my mind, we'll rebuild it. but for those of us who are my age, it won't be the same. >> reporter: part of atlantic city's iconic boardwalk is in ruins. and on the jersey shore, an

amusement park collapsed into the ocean. finally, though, relief for travelers this morning, as two of new york's major airports reopen. new york's la guardia airport is still flooded and won't be accepting flights anytime soon. >> there's an impact on every other airport because so many people are frying to fly to and from the east coast. and new york city, specifically. >> reporter: as sandy moves inland, she continues to drop an assortment of problems from georgia to wisconsin. and in north carolina, they're expecting 14 inches of rain. in cleveland, the rock and roll hall of fame was scarred by the storm. and then waves on lake michigan were churned up high enough to set records. and like in so many places, life really remains divided between those who have power and those who don't. if you love north of times square, you probably have power and life is almost normal. but if you live south of times square, in lower manhattan,

almost everybody is without lights. >> mark, one of the big questions for new yorkers is when will the subways get up and running again? the city is pretty much paralyzed without them. any word on when they may get back to being operational? >> reporter: well, the bad news there is that we're hearing seven subway tunnels remain flooded right now, especially those subways near the east river in new york. one state estimate is telling us that it could be as long as three weeks before 90% of the subways are restored. now, there is some good news. that's been that a lot of the bridges are opening back up and bus service is getting back to normal. it began again last night and resumes again today. >> certainly is good news. those buses, actually, will be free of charge to help out the residents who were stranded by the subways not running. mark greenblatt, here in new york. thanks for that report, mark. appreciate it. >> 46 miles of track underwater. unbelievable. as mark explained, the famed jersey shore was especially hard-hit. now, hundreds of residents who chose to stay in their homes are being rescued. >> they have no power, are running low on supplies and are

now facing the threat of explosions from fuel-laced water. terry moran is in seaside heights. >> reporter: we canoed through the flooded streets of seaside heights. a summer town overwhelmed and eerily silent after the storm wrecked it. this is incredible. here and there, those who stayed. they're refugees now. so, did you ride the storm out? >> we stayed here. >> reporter: thomas and arianna coletti stayed dry in this second-floor home. but now, they are stranded, cold and in dire straits. >> i've been through four hurricanes. never seen anything like this. >> reporter: and it is getting dangerous here. gas lines are broken. there is fuel from boats and cars sitting in the floodwaters across the town. >> they said that if they couldn't shut off the gas, everyone has to leave because the whole town could blow. >> reporter: the boardwalk, it was the heart of this classic jersey shore resort. a strange place now. the amusement park is in ruins. the rides that gave generations of kids so many thrills, lie

crumpled and broken in the surf. there's little left here. when you look at this, what do you think? >> total devastation everywhere. >> reporter: new jersey's governor chris christie, known for his brashness, seemed himself moved by what he saw. >> as a kid who was born and raised in this state, who spent a lot of time over my life at the jersey shore. no question in my mind, we'll rebuild it. >> you hear the emotion in his voice. you really do. and long beach island was one of the seaside areas especially hard-hit. >> this is what that residents found when they went back yesterday after sandy had already passed. the storm surge broke through the dunes on that narrow barrier island, tossing yachts like matchsticks, flooding streets and sweeping homes completely off their foundation. let's take a look at where the storm is heading today. a much weakened sandy brings gusty winds to chicago and detroit. look for a wintry mix around

michigan and cleveland, ohio. more snow from western maryland to west virginia and tennessee. drenching rain from seattle to san francisco. >> 70s from sacramento to colorado springs. 40s in the midwest. and mostly 50s in the northeast. 70s from miami over to new orleans. and when we come back on this wednesday morning, bravery in the storm. some incredible stories to share with you. and then, the latest on that tanker. more than half the length of a football field, tossed like a toy. and the surreal scenes of tree after tree being ripped from their roots. and, of course, we have it caught on camera.

and blocks of gutted homes are all that's left of a queens neighborhood, devastated by one of the worst fires in new york history. >> i really do think this scene's one of the most heartbreaking of the entire storm. more than 100 flooded homes in breezy point quickly burned to the ground, fueled by sandy's destructive winds. stunned residents had a tough time just finding the spot where their houses once stood. they sifted through ashes, looking for familiar tiles, chimneys or anything that survived the flames. >> part of your life got ripped out of you. that's a good description. >> i have over 34 years on the job. i've never seen this before, this amount of devastation. >> apocalyptic. it really is. amazingly no one was killed or seriously injured. breezy point was also devastated back on 9/11, losing 37 residents, including several

firefighters in the world trade center. there's so many stories of bravery during the storm, including one of new york's finest losing his life saving others. >> off-duty officer artur kasprzak got six members of his family, plus a 15-month-old to safety in the attic, after rising floodwaters in their staten island home. he then went to check the basement. that's where his body was discovered by fellow nypd officers. >> the cause of death has not been determined. but there were some live power lines nearby. also on staten island, a surreal scene. a large tanker wound up beached. about one-third of it ended up lying across a road. >> the 168-foot water tanker had been docked 1 mile away. sandy's powerful winds and the current pushed it the entire way. >> so many of these scenes reminiscent of katrina. what weird images coming from the storm. absolutely unbelievable.

when we come back this morning, the stock exchanges will be up and running today. that's a bit of good news. but what about tens of thousands of new york city marathon runners? the race set for sunday. >> that's the million-dollar question. and a bird's-eye view of the terrible impact of sandy, right here in the big apple. with over 200 varieties, keurig makes brewing a delicious cup of coffee simple. how does it brew such great coffee? well... inside the brewer are these green fields of coffee, and if you travel up this mountain, there's this huge coffee grinder. and then the coffee lands in this cup and water rushes through. actually, i just press this button. brew what you love, simply. keurig.

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on the right is the water and all of it pressured, just sucking the cars into the tunnel, causing a pile amongst the flooding. >> not sure the time when the tunnels and the subways will reopen. a mess to clean up. that's for sure. those before-and-after shots are a stark reminder of what sandy left behind. some of the most memorable images come from the air. >> abc's juju chang took a helicopter ride with the coast guard. >> what's going on? >> reporter: it took us much of the day navigating through streets made treacherous by sandy's fury. oh, my gosh. we just got hit by a wave. but we managed to rendezvous with the coast guard at a shuttered airport in new jersey for a harrowing bird's-eye view of this wounded city. >> look at this whole neighborhood right here. >> oh, man. >> reporter: it's devastated. >> that building's gone entirely. >> reporter: their mission, to get a more accurate picture of sandy's impact. >> there's more flooding on the left side. >> reporter: new york's rivers

surged above the banks of lower manhattan with a record 13-foot wall of water. you can see the damage everywhere. the city's vital infrastructure, its underground subways, crippled. the system that carries 5 million riders every day, still a deluge tunnel of darkness. authorities say it will take days to pump the water out of 46 miles of flooded track. the city is paralyzed for now. schools, restaurants and many businesses remain closed. with subways shut down, the only way on and off this island are its bridges and tunnels, which are slowly beginning to reopen. >> it's open for business. >> reporter: oh, my goodness. that's amazing. but flying out of this city is easier said than done. >> looks like la guardia's just sinking into the ocean there. >> reporter: that's la guardia down there. it normally handles 1,000 flights a day. now, a modern-day atlantis. it looks like a river. >> it does. i couldn't even see it at first. >> reporter: it doesn't look like a land mass. it looks like a lake or a pond.

as we fly around the lower tip of manhattan, even new york's waterways are scarred. >> a lot of oil or something right down there. >> reporter: every one of these skyscrapers are without power. they're just dark. there's no street lights. there's no stoplights. in fact, the only lights are the headlights of the con ed trucks frantically trying to restore power. as they work through the night, which may be fitting for a city that never sleeps. i'm juju chang, in manhattan. >> we got a sense from juju's piece, about the state of the airports here in new york city. the good news, jfk and newark are going to reopen with limited service. but la guardia airport, which you heard handles 1,000 flights a day, looks like a lake. look at that. that's the airport here still underwater. that airport is not going to reopen. the travel impact of this storm, 15,000 flights canceled. not only around the country but overseas, as well. >> yeah. this isn't just a new york centric story. this has a global impact. you think of how much commerce comes in and out of new york

globally. and if you can't get in and out of the city, then it's basically not happening. >> massive cleanup under way there for sure. 250,000 customers in lower manhattan are waking up to another day without electricity. con ed says it will be the weekend before the power is back. the utility company says it is the most extensive storm-related power outage in city history. streets are especially dangerous because so many traffic lights are not working, as juju just referenced. and further north in midtown manhattan, that massive construction crane that was taken down by sandy's wind has now been secured. the street below has been closed off. a wide area closed beneath that crane just in case the worst happens. on top of that, gas and steam lines in the area have been turned off, as well. unfortunately, the crane has gained a measure of infamy, you could say, with plenty of tourists stopping to take photos nearby. a little disaster tourism here in the big apple. and believe it or not, it

looks like the race will go on for the new york marathon on sunday. >> organizers say the route mostly avoids the hard-hit areas of the city. before hurricane sandy, 50,000 runners were expected for the big day. but airport closures and of course the mass transit shutdowns that have paralyzed new york could drastically reduce that number. but this is new york. the race and the show always go on, right? and the financial markets are resuming normal operations this morning after being closed for two days because of the hurricane. individual firms, though, still face problems with flooding, power and getting their employees to work. and critics say the exchanges aren't any better prepared for emergencies than they were before 9/11. cell phone cameras captured some incredible images of the storm. >> including this backyard tree. there for generations. and just ripped right out of the ground. and then, a triple-teardown of trees, as one family watched. take a look. >> oh, my god.

oh, my god. oh, my god. oh. oh, my god. oh, my god. >> it hit my car. >> my car. i got it all on film. >> hear the panic in his voice. up next, six days until the election, now. states in the hurricane zone scrambling to deal with early voting. and then, it's not just water and wind. sandy left people trapped in mountains of the white stuff. truth is, dayquil doesn't work on runny noses. ou] what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have an antihistamine. really? [ male announcer ] really. alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a fast acting antihistamine to relieve your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] try new alka-seltzer plus severe allergy

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sandy, looming large over the presidential election, as officials struggle to make up for time lost to the storm. >> many roads are still blocked. early voting sites were forced to closed in battleground states like maryland and virginia. folks in pennsylvania now have until tomorrow to request an absentee ballot. >> and sandy is spreading misery beyond the east coast. states well inland were buried in two feet of snow. look at this in west virginia. those sent out to rescue others had to be rescued. >> that's telling. at a ski resort, snowdrifted into piles three feet high, whipped by 60-mile-per-hour winds. road crews worried that the weight of the snow would lead to more trees crashing down into utility lines. and meet liam shcleppy. his mom went into labor as the family lost power. >> two ambulances couldn't get

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next, get ready for a parade and party. we have teams along the route with the best places to go. breaking news, raging fire hitting one new jersey city already hit so hard by sandy. tracking a little cloud cover, the rain will hold off for the paradewinds in chicago. a third day of rain in the pacific northwest. and afternoon showers in san francisco. and finally on this wednesday morning, for millions of people in the path of hurricane sandy, life must go on. >> it always does. and for a few familiar

entertainers, the show and the laughs must go on, with a twist. >> there's that old saying, tragedy, plus time, equals comedy. three of america's favorite funnymen didn't wait for the water to recede, before offering their fans comic relief. >> i'm jimmy. i was born in bay ridge. i grew up in the basin. tonight, i have returned to save my people from the storm. that's very kind. thank you for ignoring the local authorities to be here tonight. >> reporter: jimmy kimmel, 3,000 miles from his usual studio home, back in his hometown. >> a lot has changed since i lived in brooklyn. the last time i was here, i don't remember a hurricane trying to murder me. >> reporter: while kimmel got cheers from his audience. another late-night jimmy played to an empty house. jimmy fallon hit the streets of midtown manhattan before heading inside to deliver his monologue to no one.

>> welcome to "late night with jimmy fallon," everyone. keep it down. >> reporter: he made a nod to the weirdness the night before. >> thanks to our audience for making it to the show tonight. [ applause ] i'm so glad you're here. last night's audience was the worst. >> reporter: and it's been a ghost town two nights running, as david letterman hit the stage, in what he called the ed sullivan shelter. >> we felt we would be putting the audience at jeopardy if they had to sit through the show. i said, hell, we've been doing that for 30 years. >> oh, look out. >> reporter: but in tend, it was comedy, with a cause. >> homes have been damaged. lives have been lost. families have been displaced. if you want to help, a great way to do that is to make a donation to the american red cross. >> reporter: showing humor really can heal and help. we all need some laughs about now. welcome back, fellas. that's what's making news in america this mo