The US death toll from Superstorm Sandy exceeds 50

As the monster storm lost hurricane status, heavy rain and flooding remained major threats for the next couple of days as the storm made its way Wednesday into Pennsylvania and up in to New York State, its center just outside Philadelphia. The number of fatalities is expected to rise as cleanup work begins. Evacuations saved many lives from tens of thousands of wrecked and flooded homes. More than 8 million people remain without electricity and the presidential campaign is on hold just one week before the election.  Early assessments of the appalling devastation range between $30 and $50 billion. New York City is struggling to its feet with some roads cleared, some buses running, the stock exchange preparing to go back to business and major airports starting to open. But power and the subway are still days off from normal operation.