metropolitan transportation authority spokesperson aaron donovan, thanks for your time tonight. >> thank you very much. >> eliot: for more on the situation on the ground, let's go to abc news correspondent brandy hitt. thanks for joining us. [ sirens ] i hear in the background some sirens. what is the latest -- let's begin with the death toll. has the search and rescue now terminated and are we moving on to the next phase? >> reporter: it is really, really sad the numbers we're starting to get eliot. we're approaching close to 100 people killed according to "the associated press." a couple of updates we received throughout the day including recently. two little boys who vanished and were ripped from their mother's arms in staten island when the storm hit, they have found the bodies of the 2 and 4-year-old little boys today. just devastating to hear that news. also, as they were searching homes in staten island today they found two more bodies inside a home they believe are a couple that lived there. the death toll just continues to rise. here in lower manhattan the power is obviously sti