The center of “Frankenstorm” Sandy aims at punishing New England after leaving behind 16 dead in the United States and virtually shutting down New York City.

Two explosions at a power plant in the Big Apple contributed to blackouts that have left more than 700,000 people in the dark, but officials are thankful that the blasts did not cause injuries.

Stock exchanges were shut down Tuesday for the second consecutive day as surging waters flooded Manhattan, Battery Park, the Lower East Side, Wall Street and the subway system.

Rescue workers and medical staff evacuated hundreds of patients and staff from New York University Hospital, which lost electricity. Airports are shut down, stranding passengers to and from Israel as well the rest of the world.

The havoc spread as far north as Toronto, where one woman was killed by flying debris.

Although of little solace to East Coast residents, Sandy technically is no longer a hurricane, despite its hurricane-force winds. Meteorologists explained that it is now “a post-tropical cyclone.”

Hurricane or otherwise, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have canceled campaign appearances, each trying to out-do the other to display leadership.

“The election will take care of itself next week,” Obama said. “Right now, our number one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives… and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track.”

Romney canceled all his campaign events Monday night and Tuesday because of the storm.  

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