Sandy’s death toll reaches 72 in US

The death toll continues to rise in the U.S. Northeast and millions remain without power in the wake of Super storm Sandy. At least 72 people have died in the U.S. as of Wednesday evening. While it could be days before thousands of people in New York City get their power back on, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said bus service resumed Wednesday and limited subway service will begin on Thursday. It will still be several days before the full system is back up and running. At the height of the disaster, more than 8.2 million customers lost electricity — nearly a quarter of those without power were in NYC. All 10 of the city’s tunnels that carry passengers under the East River were flooded by the storm. Schools were closed again Wednesday. The New York Stock Exchange reopened Wednesday after being shut down Monday and Tuesday, but it is running on generator power. Most airports are also open with limited service, except for LaGuardia and Teterboro. U.S. President Barack Obama visited New Jersey, Wednesday, where he met with first responders and toured flood and fire-damaged areas with Governor Chris Christie. Christie said train stations in both Jersey City and Hoboken were heavily flooded during the super storm, while many residents remained without power. Fires continued to burn throughout the state. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. both the Smithsonian Museum and the US National Zoo have re-opened after keeping their doors shut for two days. Officials said all the museums and their collections in both Maryland and Virginia suffered no damage and are in good condition. Some buildings did experience leaks, but maintenance staff got sandbags in place to keep buildings mostly dry inside.