NEW YORK -- Superstorm Sandy is one of the largest storms ever to hit the East Coast. Sandy has claimed the lives of at least 16 people and left more than 7 million without power.

After running parallel to the East Coast for days, Sandy made landfall as a tropical storm Monday night, delivering a direct hit to the New Jersey coast.

The 80-mph winds and massive flooding left entire areas along the coastline underwater.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie advised those stranded in their homes to stay put.

"Evacuation is no longer possible, and we're no longer able to come and rescue people," he said.

New York City was the hardest hit, with a 13-foot storm surge transforming the city's streets into rivers.

How You Can Help:
Give to Operation Blessing Disaster Relief

"The worst of the weather has come and the city certainly is feeling the impact," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "At the Battery, we had record surge levels seeing an extraordinary amount of weather through New York City."

Among the submerged areas is the Big Apple's financial district.

On Tuesday, the stock market will remain closed for a second consecutive day, something that hasn't happened due to weather since the 1800s.

During the height of the storm, a Manhattan hospital had to evacuate more than 200 patients after its backup generator failed.

A transformer explosion took place at the ConEdison 14th Street switch yard in lower Manhattan. It's blamed for knocking out power to much of that area. ConEdison said it could take up to a week to be repaired.

Further south, a U.S. Coast Guard team rescued 14 crew members from a sailing ship that sank. The captain is still missing.

Sandy caused snowstorms in the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with some areas even experiencing blizzard warnings.

Meanwhile, the East Coast hasn't seen the last of Sandy.

The storm is slowly working its way across Pennsylvania and upstate New York, with effects feared as far west as Wisconsin and Illinois.

CBN's Operation Blessing has been watching the storm and making preparations to assist those who need it most.

"We, like everyone else in America, are watching The Weather Channel, watching TV, waiting to see just what the storm is going to do," one Operation Blessing worker said. "And whatever it does, we will be responding to it no doubt. We'll be on the scene within 24 hours of wherever it comes ashore or wherever OB is needed most."