LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ (CBS) -- Most of New Jersey's Barrier Islands remain off-limits after Superstorm Sandy tour through. The massive storm left communities along the Jersey shore devastated. Now gas shortages across the state are a problem. Alison Harmelin has the latest from Stafford township.
People who live on Long Beach Island are being forced to stay away. Like many of New Jersey's Barrier Islands, there's massive damage everywhere. Homes are in pieces and huge amounts of sand are in the streets. Residents who decided to ride out sandy on the island are now working together to pick up the pieces. Local resident Maggie Aftanis says, "Everyone whose businesses depend on the summer thank god got their business in and now we have eight months to fix it up and we're strong. Everybody's strong."
The mayor of Long Beach Island says the storm could end up costing more than $700 million. Mayor Joe Mancini says, "We have no water sewer electric gas phones we're basically dead in the water here."
In Hoboken floodwaters remain high and supplies are running low. An estimated 20,000 people there are stranded in their homes.
And fuel is also in short supply. Drivers are waiting on line for hours to fill up their tanks. Driver Keith Mittenzwei says, "This is the worst I've ever seen it this is terrible."
Officials say 80 percent of stations in New Jersey are unable to sell gas, mostly because they don't have electricity.
Drivers who are on the road are facing massive delays. Anyone trying to get into New York City needs at least 3 people in their car.
The backups should get better most New Jersey transit buses are starting to run again. But trains are out of service and could be for days.
Almost a million customers in New Jersey have regained power since the storm hit - but just under two million are still without electricity and are likely to remain in the dark for days.