NEW YORK, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Surging waters driven by the fury of superstorm Sandy breached a levee in the state of New Jersey on Tuesday, forcing evacuations, local authorities said.
The embankment in the town of Moonachie, near Little Ferry, collapsed as floodwaters rose four to six feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) in some areas, Little Ferry police chief Ralph Verdi told CNN.
"We're doing the best we can," he said. "Our town is in real trouble right now."
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama declared a state of "major disaster" in neighboring New York state, allowing the government to channel federal aid to victims.
Sandy, which made landfall in New Jersey on Monday evening, has so far killed at least 17 people in seven states. New York was one of the hardest hit.
Reports quoted the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) as saying that the storm has badly damaged seven subway tunnels from Manhattan to Queens and Brooklyn, and the MTA's Metro North Railroad lost power on its suburban Hudson and New Haven lines.
New York City closed its subway services, bus and commuter train systems on Sunday night in preparation for the storm.
New York City's three major airports also remain closed. So far, more than 13,500 flights had been canceled, according to the flight-tracking service FlightAware.
Meanwhile, the New York Stock Exchange canceled trading again Tuesday, the first time it has closed for two consecutive days due to bad weather since 1888.
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