A light post fell down on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive in New York City, United States, Oct. 29, 2012. [Xinhua]

A few blocks south of the NYU hospital complex, calls were heard for oxygen tanks and fuel to power Bellevue Hospital's backup generators. National Guard troops were being sought to carry fuel containers up 13 floors to the backup power units.

By Monday night all bridges linking Manhattan and Staten Island with other boroughs in the city and New Jersey were closed, except for the Lincoln Tunnel between midtown Manhattan and New Jersey.

The Brooklyn-Battery tunnel was dramatically flooded in a cascade of water reminiscent of a waterfall pouring in from flooded Battery Park City.

On Sunday night, ferry services to and from Manhattan, including the Staten Island Ferry, were suspended along with all Metropolitan Transportation Authority subway and bus lines in the city. All commuter bus and rail lines also have been suspended since Sunday.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail network, suspended service on the Northeast Corridor through New York City and running between Washington and Boston. Long distance trains through the metropolis were canceled.

John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports in the city were closed, with air travel halted.

UN Headquarters and the New York Stock Exchange were among the institutions and businesses closed Monday, mainly for lack of transportation for workers. They were to be shuttered Tuesday as well.

Subways and bus service was suspended Sunday night, officials said, in order to position them on high ground or in the tubes of subway lines not in danger of flooding. Several subway lines in lower Manhattan were flooded.

Another storm surge was expected at high tide Tuesday morning but it was not expected to be as severe as Monday night's, weather forecasters said.