A month after megastorm Sandy plowed through the northeastern United States, the bill for damage inflicted in the three hardest-hit US states is topping $80 billion.

As the US East Coast slowly cleaned up from superstorm Sandy, those hoping to help the millions without power or food took to tweeting, posting and crowdsourcing Wednesday to mobilize much-needed aid.

Damage from the mega-storm that blasted the US East Coast could hit $20 billion, disaster estimator Eqecat said Tuesday, as economists put total losses to the economy at $30-50 billion.

Mega-storm Sandy caused "unthinkable" damage to the Jersey shore, the barrier islands and beach towns that run the length of New Jersey's Atlantic coast, Governor Chris Christie said Tuesday.

Powerful winds buckled a crane on a New York skyscraper, giving an alarming warning of the danger from Hurricane Sandy as authorities tried desperately to persuade people in high-risk areas to get to safety.

Damage from the massive Hurricane Sandy battering the US East Coast could hit as much as $20 billion, disaster estimator Eqecat said Monday.

Much of the eastern United States was in lockdown mode on Monday awaiting the arrival of a hurricane dubbed "Frankenstorm" that threatened to wreak havoc on the area with storm surges, driving rain and devastating winds.

New York authorities ordered the evacuation of 375,000 people from low-lying coastal areas as the imminent arrival of Hurricane Sandy forced the entire eastern seaboard into lockdown mode.

President Barack Obama warned Americans on Sunday to take Hurricane Sandy "very seriously" as authorities prepared a virtual shutdown of the Eastern Seaboard due to the impending mega-storm.

Doug Barotra managed to carry more than 50 cans of beer out of his local supermarket after waiting 45 minutes to get to the cashier. He is expecting the worst from Hurricane Sandy.

US authorities ordered coastal evacuations and airlines canceled transatlantic flights on Sunday as Hurricane Sandy bore down on the east coast after claiming 66 lives in the Caribbean.

New York's governor declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, while the mayor of New York City said the Big Apple was ready for anything.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Friday that the Big Apple is ready for anything Hurricane Sandy can throw at the city -- and cautioned against panic.

President Barack Obama will skip his annual trip to the rich man's retreat of Martha's Vineyard this summer, as he wages a pro-middle class election campaign against multi-millionaire Mitt Romney.

Natural disasters such as the huge earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan caused a record $366 billion (285 million euros) damage in 2011, the UN disaster risk reduction agency UNISDR said on Wednesday.

Teen singing sensation Rebecca Black topped a Google Zeitgeist list of hot search subjects marking the spirit of 2011.

Natural and man-made catastrophes cost the world economy $350 billion (270 billion euros) and 30,000 lives this year, reinsurer Swiss Re said on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two members of the Senate have revived the debate over the federal government's flood insurance program, with one pushing to extend the program before it expires and the other demanding faster payment on existing claims.

(Reuters) - American world number five Dustin Johnson is expected to be sidelined until at least early January after having knee surgery on Tuesday, his manager said.

(Reuters) - American world number five Dustin Johnson is expected to be sidelined until at least early January after having knee surgery on Tuesday, his manager said.