The
video shows homes that were not washed away by the storm surge, inundated by piles of sand.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reacted to videos of the destruction, telling
USA Today:
"The idea ... that you see homes in the middle of Route 35 southbound and northbound is just unfathomable."
Nick Russo, mayor of Longport, N.J., told
NBC News:
"This was literally the storm of our lifetime. No one has seen this type of damage, not even in the 1962 storm. The amount of sand, wood and concrete that has actually come up from the streets — it's not a good scene."
The
Today Show captured aerial footage of a fire in Mantoloking, NJ. that claimed several homes in the coastal town. Natural gas lines or downed power lines are believed to be responsible for the fire.
Another
video shows parts of Washington DC submerged under several feet of water.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, there were still an estimated 2.3 million people without power in New Jersey. The estimated cost of the damage to all states affected by Sandy is reported to be around $20 billion according to
Forbes.