BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Deaths in the United States and Canada blamed on superstorm Sandy, that tore across the U.S. East Coast earlier this week, has risen to at least 102.

In New York City, 40 people have been confirmed dead. In New Jersey, authorities said the death toll there had reached 13 and 14 fatalities were reported in Pennsylvania. The storm also killed at least 69 people in the Caribbean, including at least 54 in Haiti and 11 in Cuba, before hitting the U.S. coast on Monday.

Millions of homes and businesses across disaster-hit areas were still without power on Friday, four days after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the U.S. East Coast. Sandy is threatening to drag the U.S. government’s debt-ridden flood insurance program back into the political cross-hairs just months after Congress attempted to put the controversial program on a sound financial footing.

It is unclear if claims from Sandy will exceed the $3.7 billion US dollars the National Flood Insurance Program can spend before Congress needs to authorize more funds.

(Source: CNTV.cn)