Mayor Michael Bloomberg rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, October 31, 2012.
Parts of the storm-ravaged U.S. East Coast are trying to get back to business Wednesday.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was at the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street to ring the opening bell. It is the first time traders have returned to work since Hurricane Sandy walloped the region, flooding parts of the city's famed subway system.
Two of New York's three airports are beginning limited services, though the third - LaGuardia Airport - remains closed because of flood damage.
Airports, rail service, and local public transit in other cities along the Eastern Seaboard are also resuming services.
But there are other signs that many areas still have a long way to go.
In New Jersey, floodwaters and floating debris hindered firefighters Wednesday as they tried to battle a series of natural gas fires in the coastal town of Mantoloking, where several homes burned to the ground two days ago.
Life After Sandy
1/23Dave Skudin empties his home of household items that were destroyed by flooding from Superstorm Sandy on Nov 1, 2012, in Long Beach, N.Y.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
2/23Tricia Burke walks over debris which washed up onto her property in the wake of superstorm Sandy, Nov. 1, 2012, in Brick, N.J.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
3/23As temperatures begin to drop, people wait in line to fill containers with gas at a Shell gasoline filling station Nov. 1, 2012, in Keyport, N.J.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
4/23Tunisia Wragg, left, a staff member with New York Assemblyman Sheldon Silver, checks a cell phone at a charging station in Chinatown, NY, Nov 1, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
5/23Morning commuters walk and bicycle across New York's Brooklyn Bridge, Oct. 31, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
6/23Water gushes from a hose as it is pumped out of a basement in New York's financial district, Oct. 31, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
7/23People line up at a coffee truck in New York's financial district, Oct. 31, 2012 ahead of the first opening for Wall Street this week following a two-day shutdown due to superstorm Sandy.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
8/23Members of the National Guard stand ready with large trucks used to pluck people from high water in Hoboken, N.J. , Oct. 31, 2012 in the wake of superstorm Sandy.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
9/23People in New York's Tribeca neighborhood, without power because of superstorm Sandy, wait for a chance to charge their mobile phones on an available generator setup on a sidewalk, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
10/23Kathy and Jeffrey Frey pose for a photograph outside their home on 7th Street which is flooded from the effects of Hurricane Sandy on Oct., 30, 2012, in Bayville, N.Y.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
11/23A canoe sits in the lobby of an apartment building in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, October 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
12/23This photo provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows the South Ferry subway station after it was flooded by seawater during superstorm Sandy on Oct. 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
13/23Pedestrians walk past the boardwalk and cars displaced by superstorm Sandy, near Rockaway Beach in the New York City borough of Queens, Oct. 30, 2012, in New York.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
14/23Residents look over the remains of burned homes in the Rockaways section of New York, October 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
15/23A beachfront house is damaged in the aftermath of yesterday's surge from superstorm Sandy, Oct. 30, 2012, in Coney Island's Sea Gate community in New York.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
16/23Peter Andrews removes belongings from his father's beachfront home, destroyed in the aftermath of a storm surge from superstorm Sandy, Oct. 30, 2012, in Coney Island's Sea Gate community in New York.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
17/23Taxis are submerged in floodwaters in the wake of superstorm Sandy on Oct. 30, 2012, in Weehawken, N.J.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
18/23People stand next to a house collapsed from superstorm Sandy in East Haven, Conn. on Oct. 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
19/23Demonstranti pevaju nacionalnu himnu ispred barikada u centru Kijeva. .
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
20/23Zoe Jurusik, 20, paddleboards down a flooded city street in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Bethany Beach, Delaware, October 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
21/23This photo provided by Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows people boarding a bus, as partial bus service was restored on Oct. 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
22/23Jeff Willard lights a candle in his living room as his girlfriend, Diana Conte, back left, and her son, Ricky, wait for electricity to return in Ventnor City, N.J., Oct. 30, 2012.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
23/23People stop along the Brooklyn waterfront to look at the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline, Oct. 30, 2012 in New York.
On the US East Coast, millions are struggling to recover from damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. Recovery efforts are under way, but many are still without power and transportation.
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Later Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama is set to visit the storm-battered state, where many are calling Sandy one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit the region.
Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are expected to view the damage together and thank emergency workers for their efforts. On Tuesday, Christie, a Republican normally at odds with the Democratic president, praised the Obama administration for what he said has been an "outstanding" response to the destructive storm.
The president has declared "major disasters" in New York and New Jersey, freeing federal funds aimed at offsetting billions of dollars in East Coast property damage.
In many areas, rescue and utility workers are hard at work, doing their best to clean up in the aftermath of the storm.
The storm's impact has even caught the attention of the Vatican, where on Wednesday Pope Benedict spoke about the disaster during prayers.
"Conscious of the devastation caused by the hurricane which recently struck the East Coast of the United States of America, I offer my prayers for the victims and I express my solidarity with all those engaged in the work of rebuilding,'' he said.
Sandy has killed at least 45 people in North America. The storm hit the New Jersey shore late Monday, causing massive flooding, raging fires and power outages that crippled the New York metropolitan area.
As the storm moves west, it has triggered unseasonably powerful blizzards in the mountains. Forecasters say it is now making its way toward Canada's southern border.
Sandy killed at least 65 people in the Caribbean last week before moving toward the United States.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.
