The U.S. has begun efforts to recover from damage caused by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, but the process is anticipated to be slowgoing.

New York City reopened some bus routes on Tuesday afternoon, local time, but it will take some time to normalize the entire bus system, since many regions were flooded by the immense storm.

The hurricane has left eight-point-two million households without power along the East Coast, and it is expected to take more than a week to restore electricity.

The death toll from the storm stands at 43, and rescuers are working to find and help victims.