10 things you need to know today: November 2, 2012

Gas shortages complicate the Sandy recovery, Election Day approaches, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion

A man fills up jerry cans with gasoline as others wait in line on Nov. 1 in Hazlet township, N.J.
(Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

1. GAS CRISIS HAMPERS STORM RECOVERY

Widespread gasoline shortages in New York and New Jersey have complicated some emergency services and forced people struggling to bounce back after Hurricane Sandy to wait in lines hundreds of vehicles deep. Tempers flared, with fights breaking out at several gas stations as suburban residents waited to buy fuel for their cars and generators, the only heating source for many. "Everywhere you go, it's either a riot or there's no gas," one frustrated motorist said. The crisis heightened tensions four days after the storm, as estimates of the damages mounted. The superstorm's U.S. death toll rose to at least 90 people, with rescuers still finding bodies as they sift through coastal wreckage. New projections of the economic costs rose to $50 billion, making Sandy one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history, although it's still far below Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. [New York Times]

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