In New York City, 10 people have been killed and the public transport system remains closed until further notice.
In New Jersey, three people were killed, including a couple killed by a falling tree when they got out of their car; their children, 11 and 14, who remained inside, survived.
A woman in West Virginia died when her car collided with a cement lorry, in heavy snow caused by the storm.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said 2.4 million households in the state had been affected, double the number hit by Hurricane Irene in August 2011.
The devastation was "beyond anything I thought I'd ever see," Christie told a news conference.
The Path commuter train service, which links New Jersey and New York City, is likely to remain suspended for seven to 10 days, Christie said.
The tidal surge from the storm left fields of debris 7ft (2.25m) high and carried small railway goods cars onto elevated sections of the New Jersey Turnpike, he said.
More than 15,000 flights were cancelled in US, the flight-tracking website FlightAware estimates.
Earlier, Sandy killed more than 60 people as it hit the Caribbean.
Sandy brought a record storm surge of almost 14ft (4.2m) to central Manhattan, well above the previous record of 10 feet (3m) during Hurricane Donna in 1960, the National Weather Service said.
The storm was causing heavy snowfalls over the Appalachian mountains on Tuesday afternoon. It was expected to turn towards western New York state during the evening before moving into Canada on Wednesday, the forecaster said.
At least eight million homes and businesses are without power because of the storm, says the US Department of Energy, the BBC reports.
The New York Stock Exchange says it will re-open on Wednesday after two days' closure, as will the Nasdaq exchange. The last time the stock exchange shut down for two days was in 1888.
New York's subway system sustained the worst damage in its 108-year history, said Joseph Lhota, head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).
Subway tunnels were flooded and electrical equipment will have to be cleaned before the network can re-open.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was "no timeline" for when the subway would restart, but he hoped buses could begin running again on Wednesday.
All New York's major airports are closed as their runways are flooded.
It is likely to be two or three days before power is restored to most of the city, Mr Bloomberg said.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has declared "major disasters" in the northeastern states of New York and New Jersey where a massive storm named Sandy raked over the region, flooding low-lying streets and wiping out power across much of region.
Tuesday's declarations free up federal disaster funds to help with disaster relief efforts.
The storm moved ashore late Monday south of New York with hurricane-strength winds. It weakened as it moved inland.
Obama will travel to New Jersey on Wednesday to view storm damage from Sandy with Republican Governor Chris Christie, the White House said.
Obama will also visit victims of the huge storm and will thank "first responders who put their lives at risk to protect their communities," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
The presidency, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, in Abuja, on Tuesday, said those behind a protest in Abuja, where Jonathan was accused of orchestrating plans to cede five Rivers State oil communities to Bayelsa State, were engaging in an exercise of blackmail.
The statement noted that the dispute in question predated President Jonathan-led administration and had never be brought before him for any action.
"Our attention has been drawn to a publication in some newspapers today about a protest staged by the Kalabari National Forum and some monarchs in Abuja, in which the so-called protesters accused President Goodluck Jonathan of interfering in a boundary dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa states.
"The protesters alleged, directly and through innuendoes, that there are plans to cede five Rivers State oil communities to Bayelsa with the connivance of various Federal Government agencies under the watchful eyes and supervision of the president, whose home state, most ingloriously, is the direct beneficiary."
"We consider these allegations irresponsible and most unfortunate, considering the status of the persons who reportedly championed the protest.
"The statutory agencies being referred to by the protesters do not take orders from the president; they are independent bodies. Besides, there are laid down procedures for resolving inter-state boundary disputes.
"In this particular case, the dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa states predates the Jonathan administration and has been a matter for consideration by the National Boundary Commission, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and other relevant agencies, long before now," the statement read.
The statement condemned the motive, saying that it was surprising that a personality of Alabo Graham Douglas, himself being a former minister, would team up with a group bent on causing disaffection between the president and his Ijaw kinsmen.
"We advise the Kalabari National Forum, its members and hidden sponsors to avoid the temptation to instigate conflict between the Nembe and Kalabari people of Rivers and Bayelsa states, who are both of the same Ijaw stock," it added.
The president appealed to the people of Rivers and Bayelsa to refuse to be dragged into the politics of conflict being orchestrated by individuals pursuing a hidden agenda.
They were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Christopher Balogun on a 13-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence.
They were alleged to have conspired to defraud one Lady Lora Marire of the said sum under the pretence of helping to register her as a contractor with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and offering her a contract to build 100 units of duplex at Lekki, Lagos.
Four other individuals, who were allegedly at large and fingered in the alleged scam, are Tony Elijah; John Williams; Mr Chude Ngini and Alkali Hammed.
One of the charge read: "Okoye, Matthew,Lawry, Elijah (at large), Williams (at large), Ngini (at large) and Hammed (at large) on or about May 25, 2010 at Ikeja within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain the sum of N39,100,000 from lady Lora Marire by falsely representing that the said sum represented the sum used for the registration of her company as contractor with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the award of a contract to her to build 100 unit of duplex at Lekki Lagos."
The three accused pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Prosecution counsel, Olubunmi Bosede, prayed the court to grant two applications filed before it.
The first was for an early date for hearing and the second to remand the accused in prison custody.
However, counsel for the first accused, Gbolahan Samuel, told the court that he had filed an application for bail.
He requested for a short date for hearing of the bail application and urged the court to remand the accused in EFCC custody, due to the fact that he had health challenges.
Counsel for the second accused, E.S.N Ijeh, said he had also filed an application for bail and prayed the court that the accused be allowed to remain in EFCC custody.
Counsel for the third accused, Austin Abkunimen, however, said he had not filed any application for bail, but aligned himself with the prayer of Samuel, claiming also that his client had health challenges.
Justice Balogun, after listening to their submission, adjourned the case till November 13, for hearing of the bail applications.
He ordered that the first accused be remanded in EFCC custody based on the medical report in his bail application, while second and third accused were remanded in Ikoyi prison.
It affects women as early as 40 years old, but most often occurs for women between the ages of 60 and 70. It is likely that levels of hormones (oestrogen) play a large role, but the influence of nutrition is somewhat convoluted. A study followed the consumption of meats, endometrial cancer development and overall health in 60,000 Swedish women from 1987 to 2008.
The science behind it
Animal protein is composed of both heme and non heme iron. The heme iron found within the animal proteins creates the issue, as it is inflammatory. Fruits and vegetables are proven antioxidants, where as heme iron is thought to be pro-inflammatory.
The heme iron found in red meats creates more oxidative stress within the body and leads to DNA damage. Additionally, heme iron has been linked to the development of both diabetes and obesity. These two conditions predispose an individual to the development of endometrial cancer.
What did the study find?
The study's participants had an initial physical to screen their baseline health and rule out those who were not qualified for participation. The women filled out surveys on a quarterly basis that assessed the types of meat they were eating (poultry, red meat, fish, and processed meat), their overall health, and development of disease.
There was a 20 to 30 percent increased risk of endometrial cancer for participants who had the highest heme iron and total dietary iron intake as compared to those participants who had the lowest values. When the data was compared for a specific meat, i.e. chicken vs. beef, liver products were found to have a 30 percent higher risk of endometrial cancer. Liver has a higher portion of heme iron. No other meat types were correlated with an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer.
The study also found that an increased rate of total dietary iron and heme iron were associated with higher incidence of endometrial cancer over the 21-year period. Additionally, those study participants with a higher BMI (body mass index) and a greater meat intake, had a greater risk for developing endometrial cancer.
Another study looked at the consumption of iron containing meats, but not heme iron, and its associated risk with endometrial cancer. There was a two-fold risk in development if the disease associated with increased intake.
Mutiu Sunmonu, SPDC's Managing Director and Country Chair for Shell Companies in Nigeria said: "We are deeply touched by the stories and images of the hardship the floods have brought upon our brothers and sisters in many parts of the country and our thoughts and prayers are with all affected persons at this most difficult time. I'm also happy that our staff are voluntarily contributing to the employee donation programme we launched for the flood victims."
The planned support operations with the Red Cross will cover areas including relief management, camp coordination and management, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, healthcare (especially maternal and child health), emergency shelter, livelihood support and early recovery, family reunification, psychosocial support and risk reduction. These will form part of the immediate and medium term activities to be embarked upon in order to ease the hardship suffered by the flood affected persons and manage their return to normal life.
Commenting on the support from SPDC, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Red Cross, Bello Hamman Diram said: "The Nigerian Red Cross Society welcomes the response and cooperation from Shell to our plan of action for the 2012 floods operation.
It will certainly go a long way towards helping us meet our obligations to affected persons, volunteers and our staff, as well as to respond quickly and adequately to this emergency. We enjoin other well meaning individuals and corporate bodies to do likewise."
Two suicide bombers drove vehicles packed with explosives into a Catholic church in northern Nigeria on Sunday, killing and wounding several, witnesses said. The bombers both managed to get inside the packed St Rita's church, in volatile ethnically and religiously mixed Kaduna, said witness Linus Lighthouse, who survived the blasts.More details coming
The traders, who spoke with our correspondent on Wednesday, said the policemen, numbering four, were in mufti when they besieged the area.
One of the traders, who craved anonymity, said when the policemen stormed bureau de change section of Alade Market, they gave the impression that they wanted to change some foreign currencies into naira.
As efforts were being made to change the money, he said the policemen ordered the operators to lie on the floor.
Asked how he knew that the men were policemen, the operator said some of his colleagues identified one of them as Sheu, a policeman.
The trader told PUNCH Metro, "When they came they said they wanted to change 5,000 Euros. We did not think anything was wrong until they suddenly asked people to lie down and shot into the air.
"One of the men was wearing an earring. Some of us ran away but we recognised one of them, Shehu, a policeman. We immediately shouted his name and the men quickly rushed into the danfo bus they brought."
Our correspondent learnt that when the men ran into the bus, they quickly put on bulletproof vests, which the traders insisted bore resemblance to those used by policemen.
The trader said the men shot into the air and fled the market.
Meanwhile, a young bureau de change operator in the area known simply as Tijani, was shot dead on Tuesday by an armed robber.
Our correspondent learnt that the robbers, who operated on a motorcycle about 4pm, had trailed Tijani from a bank.
Before killing him, one of the robbers snatched the money Tijani had gone to withdraw while the other one shot him.
One of Tijani's colleagues, who declined to give his name for security reasons, said he did not know how much his colleague had gone to withdraw.
He said, "I think the robbers must have trailed him from the bank. He boarded a tricycle and one of the robbers followed him and tried to snatch the bag from him.
"While they were struggling, the other robber, who had been following the tricycle on a bike, pulled out a gun and shot Tijani in both legs and stomach."
Tijani's friend, who spoke pidgin English said people who had been attracted to the scuffle fled immediately the bureau de change operator was shot.
It was learnt that the victim who was from Kebbi State had been buried by his colleagues on Tuesday night.
A motorist, Rotifa Adeagbo, said he was about turning towards the Allen Junction when the incident happened.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the police command in the state, Ngozi Braide, advised the traders to report to the nearest police station or the office of the Commissioner of Police if they were sure one of the men is a policeman.
"I have not heard anything about this matter. But if the traders are sure the suspected robbers were policemen, the proper thing is for them to reportl," she said.
She confirmed that one of the operators was shot on Tuesday but said she was not informed that he died.
"He was rushed to the hospital but I cannot confirm if he is dead since there has not been an official report on the incident," Braide said.
The statements, tendered through an operative of the EFCC, Adebayo Adeniyi, at the commencement of trial, were authored by Ikuforiji, some of his colleagues in the Lagos Assembly and other individuals interrogated by the agency in the course of investigating a petition against Ikuforiji in June 2011.
Adeniyi, the first prosecution witness and a member of the investigation team, was silent on the author of the petition. He did not also give any indication of the content of the statements.
Two of the statements were made by Ikuforiji and another two by his co-accused, Oyebode Atoyebi.
Members of the House of Assembly whose statements were also admitted as exhibits are John Ajibola, Akande Lola, Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla, Kolawole Musibau, Abiru Rotimi and Abdurrazaq Balogun.
Statements of civil servants, who are key officers of the House, were also part of the 19 admitted by the court.
The civil servants are Adewale Olatunji, Ganiyu Abiru, Toyin Atekoja, Latona Folashade, Tijani Maruf and Lambo Abosede.
The admissibility of the statements was not objected to by the defence team led by Tayo Oyetibo, SAN.
Led by the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Godwin Obla, the witness said his team also obtained documents from officials of the Lagos State House of Assembly and some members of the Assembly.
"We also obtained some of the documents from the Clerk of the House of Assembly. The documents comprise cash release vouchers, minutes relating to payments, and payment confirmation list," Adeniyi said.
He was in the process of tendering a bunch of documents described as cash register, when Obla noted that although it was certified, the documents were not properly paginated.
Obla therefore sought for an adjournment to enable the prosecution to tidy up the documents, a request the presiding judge, Justice Okechukwu Okeke, granted.
The judge has fixed November 6 for continuation of trial.
The EFCC had preferred 20 counts of money laundering against Ikuforiji and his Personal Assistant, Atoyebi, accusing them of accepting cash payments from the Assembly to the tune of N501m without going through any financial institution.
Also, motorists were held up for hours following gridlock on most major roads. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway towards Seven-Up, Yaba, Iyana Ipaja, Ikorodu Road, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Oba Akran Avenue, Oba Ogunnusi Road in Ogba among others witnessed traffic snarl.
Findings by our correspondents showed that the gridlock was as a result of motorists struggling to buy fuel at some filling stations, ban on okada in some routes and Sallah rush.
At Oando filling station, Oba Akinjobi Way, Ikeja and at Total filling station in Ojota, where fuel was being dispensed, the queues took over a large part of the road causing gridlock.
Some motorists and commuters, who spoke with our correspondents, also attributed the situation to the Lagos State Government new traffic laws.
They said the policy was not well thought out because it had only imposed hardship on the people.
"I really don't know the purpose of a law. Is it to make the people suffer or to provide relief? a woman, who gave her name as Janet, said in Ogba.
Janet said she usually took okada as buses do not ply her route.
A motorist, Emmanuel Achubi, told one of our correspondents, that he had to call his office that he would be late for work after being held in traffic for about two hours on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
Another road user, Niyi Onanubi, said, "Higher fares, stranded commuters; these are what you get when a few people think they know what's best for 18 million others."
A university teacher, who declined to give his name, said the traffic snarl could be partly blamed on the forthcoming Sallah festival.
"I could not get to any office today (Wednesday) because of the gridlock. Apart from the fuel scarcity and ban on commercial motorcyclists, I think Sallah rush contributed to what people experienced on the roads," he said.
Commercial bus drivers cashed in on the situation to hike their fares from between 50 to 100 per cent.
The transport fare for Ikeja-Yaba route increased from N120 to N200 while Ketu-Ikorodu was hiked from N100 to N200.
A Bar Beach-bound passenger, who identified himself simply as Cosmas, lamented the traffic situation in the state.
Cosmas said, "From CMS to Bar Beach/Eko Hotels, we used to pay N100 but now, drivers have increased it by 100 per cent. The most worrisome is that as short as the distance is, it will take you close to one and a half hours to get there because of gridlock.
"Okadas, which used to help us in such a situation, have been chased away. Government must rescind its decision in the interest of the people. We are suffering seriously and the situation cannot continue like this."
A commuter, Jide Adeyemi, said the ban on okada had increased the number of people commuting by bus.
"Apart from the transport fare being too exorbitant the buses are not even available. I have been standing here waiting for a bus to convey me to my place of business for about an hour with no success," he said.
But a commercial driver, John Sogo, said the hike in fares was as a result of petrol scarcity.
He said, "It's not our fault. I woke up as early as 5am today (Wednesday) in search of fuel today and on getting to my turn after queuing up for hours, they told me that they had ran out of supply.
"I eventually bought 10 litres for N2, 000 from black marketers. In all fairness, we are left with no choice but to adjust the fares we charge."
There was also much pressure on the Bus Rapid Transit services as passengers cramped onto the buses. Many would-be commuters were seen in long queues awaiting BRT buses.
The IG also directed the CPs to personally ensure that key and vulnerable points, all places of worship, recreation centres, resorts and other public places are adequately and effectively protected, to enable worshippers and the general public to enjoy the Eid-el Kabir celebration.
In a statement by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in Abuja on Wednesday, Abubakar directed all Commanders of Police Highway Patrol Teams to ensure that motorised patrols on highways targeted at crime and accident prevention, are intensified to ensure a safe, secure and peaceful celebration.
"Policemen deployed on our highways have also been directed to render necessary assistance to travelers and road users, especially accident victims and those who might have suffered vehicular break down," he added.
Abubakar warned officers who would be deployed during the period, to ensure that they conduct themselves within the confines of the law.
"They must be firm but polite, civil and professional in the discharge of their assigned roles, giving due regard and respect to the fundamental human rights of citizens at all times," he said.
Meanwhile, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Adenrele Shinaba, has assured residents that the command had deployed adequate policemen to ensure a safe and secure Sallah celebration.
Shinaba explained that his command had received over 75 vehicles to patrol the nook and cranny of the Territory.
The CP appealed to residents to be security-conscious and to report to the police any act of security threat within their domain.
Agency reports had on Tuesday quoted the military Joint Task Force as saying that its operatives uncovered a plot by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, to perpetrate massive attacks during the Islamic celebration that commenced on Thursdsay (today).
