Fuel rage 
breaks out as drivers
face long
queues

New York City authorities said a motorist was arrested after he tried to cut the queue at a petrol station in Queens and pointed a gun at another motorist who complained.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said a 35-year-old man from Queens was arrested on charges of menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.

Damage from the storm has forced many petrol stations to close and has disrupted fuel deliveries, causing long lines at the petrol stations that have remained open.

If convicted, the man could face up to 15 years in prison.

Governor Chris Christie has announced a series of measures intended to speed New Jersey’s recovery from the devastating storm that hit this week.

The state is borrowing federally-owned rail cars to help get New Jersey Transit’s train system running faster.

Mr Christie said he may also order schools to be open next Thursday and Friday, the days of a now-cancelled teachers’ convention. But union officials say it does not make sense to open schools then because many families have plans to be away.

Sandy has killed more than 90 across the country, and a forecasting firm estimated its total US damage could run as high as $50 billion(£31 billion).

New York City was slowly coming back to life, with people streaming into the city as service began to resume on commuter trains and subways, but neighbouring New Jersey was stunned by coastal devastation and thousands of people in one city 
were still stranded by fetid flood waters.

Across the Hudson River from New York City, the flood waters were slowly receding in the city of Hoboken, where an estimated 20,000 people had remained in their homes.

New Jersey residents across the state were urged to conserve water. At least 1.7 million customers remained without electricity.

Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor – the busiest train line in the country – was to take commuters along the heavily heavily-populated East Coast again from yesterday.

But hundreds of thousands in New York City alone were still blacked out, especially in downtown Manhattan. Con Edison said it was on track to restore power by today.

Snow drifts as high as five feet have piled up in West Virginia, where the former hurricane merged with two winter weather systems as it went inland.