Monster storm Sandy swept a wall of churning sea water and driving rain onto the eastern United States on Monday, flooding major cities and leaving death and chaos in its wake. Seawater coursed between the iconic skyscrapers of New York’s financial district in lower Manhattan, flooding subways and road tunnels and shorting out the power grid, plunging hundreds of thousands into darkness.

The catastrophe completely overwhelmed the US election race, forcing a halt to campaigning just eight days before Americans are due to go to the polls to choose between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney.

Read full story here