Obama joined New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and other officials to inspect damage from the massive storm that struck the East Coast.

Across the state, the storm damaged homes, flooded communities, and left more than 2 million people without power. According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sandy killed at last 18 people in New York, while at least 64 storm-related deaths were reported nationwide to date.

“One of our challenges now is to get back to normalcy,” said Gov. Christie. “And so the things we need to do is to make sure that we get power restored as quickly as possible; make sure that people have clean drinking water, and waste water treatment plants are working; hospitals are taken care of the way they need to; and that we get kids back to school.

Christie, a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said he “can’t thank the president enough” for his concern and compassion during the storm.

President Obama outlined the steps being taken by federal emergency responders. Even before the storm hit, FEMA and other groups were able to preposition supplies like water, food, and power generators. Now more than 2,000 FEMA personnel are on the ground in the state, and the President promised that the recovery effort would continue.

“Number one, and most important, our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones,” he said. “For those like the people I just had the chance to meet on this block and throughout New Jersey and throughout the region whose lives have been upended, my second message is we are here for you, and we will not forget; we will follow up to make sure that you get all the help that you need until you’ve rebuilt.”

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney returned to the campaign trail Wednesday with three stops in Florida attempting to win a battleground state.

Obama’s campaign announced Wednesday he planned to resume campaign travel Thursday after a three-day pause with stops in Nevada, Colorado and Wisconsin.

Though no longer a hurricane according to the National Hurricane Center, “post-tropical” superstorm Sandy has left at least 12 people dead from West Virginia to North Carolina and Connecticut.

More than 5.5 million people were left without electrical power by the storm and more than one million people across a dozen states were ordered to evacuate, AFP reported.

Heavy snows threatened mountainous regions inland and fierce winds and flooding were expected along hundreds of miles of Atlantic coast

US stock markets were closed on Monday, the first time since the September 11, 2001, attacks, and will remain shut on Tuesday, according to Reuters, while the federal government in Washington was also closed, and so too were schools up and down the East Coast.

The storm interrupted the US presidential campaign with eight days to go before the election. President Barack Obama and his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, both called off events, with Obama returning to Washington to monitor the storm from the White House.

President Obama, speaking after a briefing at the federal government’s storm response center in Washington discussed how federal emergency response teams are moving resources into place to ensure that potentially affected areas have the food, water, and disaster relief supplies they need to begin recovery.

“Obviously, everybody is aware at this point that this is going to be a big and powerful storm,” the President said. “And all across the Eastern seaboard, I think everybody is taking the appropriate preparations.”

He also urged residents in the path of Hurricane Sandy to heed warnings from local officials.

“The most important message that I have for the public right now is, please listen to what your state and local officials are saying,” he said from the White House Briefing Room. “When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. Do not delay. Don’t pause; don’t question the instructions that are being given, because this is a serious storm and it could potentially have fatal consequence if people haven’t acted quickly.”

Asked about potential effect on the election, Obama said: “The election will take care of itself next week,” he said.