Oct 30th 2012, 18:41 by Biodun Iginla, BBC News and The Economist| NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON, DC
IN SOME ways Hurricane Sandy has been a mercurial storm, with mild mists followed by violent gusts of wind and sheets of rain. Its devastation is rather more lasting. On Tuesday millions of people on America's east coast woke up to darkened homes, downed trees, flooded streets and news of over 30 dead.
New York and New Jersey were hardest hit, with the president declaring "major disasters" in both states. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, says the damage to his state is “incalculable”. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, called it "a storm of unprecedented proportions”.
For many, life has come to a halt, as roads, businesses and schools have been closed. Subway systems were shut down from Washington to Boston, with New York facing floods in several tunnels. Trains up and down the east coast were cancelled and flights grounded. Millions of those now stranded are still without power.
In the face of such devastation, both presidential candidates have withdrawn from the campaign trail. The storm has even inspired a rare moment of bipartisanship, with Mr Christie, a prominent supporter of Mitt Romney, praising Mr Obama's response as "outstanding". (The two will tour the damage in New Jersey on Wednesday.) Others, though, are making hay of a comment from Mr Romney, earlier in the campaign, in which he called for sending emergency-management responsibilities to the states.
A storm of this magnitude shows up the need for federal involvement, though the debate will continue over whether that should come in the form of merely "help" or coordination. It appears that, so far, actors on both the federal and state levels have performed admirably. (Twitter types on the left are already crowing about the effectiveness of government.) The Federal Emergency Management Agency seems to have learned some lessons from Hurricane Katrina, deploying resources early and in strategic locations. The utilities have followed suit. In New York, workers for the power company blanket the post-apocalyptic landscape.
Meanwhile, both parties have spun arguments about how the storm will, or will not, help them on election day. But there is a question of whether election day will even come off in some areas. Mr Christie believes power will be restored in time for the vote, and Mr Obama seems unconcerned. “I spoke to the president three times yesterday,” Mr Christie told CNN. “If he’s not bringing it up, I’m certainly not going to bring it up.”
