Sandy's devastation on Staten Island

Natalie Arellano, 12, right, hugs and lifts Isabella Carvalho, 8, after they met on the street in their neighborhood in Staten Island, New York, on Nov. 2, 2012. The two friends had not seen each other since their respective families evacuated because of Sandy, the massive superstorm that made landfall Monday, Oct. 29, 2012.

The massive storm that started out as Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast and morphed into a huge and problematic system, killing at least 96 people in the United States. Power outages now stand at more than 3.6 million homes and businesses, down from a peak of 8.5 million. The cost of the storm could exceed $18 billion in New York alone.

Credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig