(RNN) - Superstorm Sandy has passed through the New York area, leaving evacuated hospitals, flooded streets, raging fires and 16 people dead.

More than 7 million are without power in the affected area along the East Coast. Emergency officials said it could be days before service is restored to many people, and damage is expected to be in the billions of dollars.

The deaths include five in New York, two in Maryland, two in Connecticut, three in New Jersey, two in Pennsylvania, one in West Virginia and one from a ship off the coast, CNN reported.

In Moonachie County, NJ, rescues are under way after a levee reportedly broke, allowing waters to flood in. Bergen County chief of staff Jeanne Baratta told CNN on Tuesday that crews were working to get people who have been trapped, including some who were forced to the roofs of their houses.

Off the coast of North Carolina, at least one person is dead after a rescue by the Coast Guard. A total of 14 were rescued from the HMS Bounty, a three-mast ship that was used in the movies Mutiny on the Bounty and Pirate of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Claudene Christian, 42, was "unresponsive" and has been declared dead, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The ship's captain was still missing. The ship has sunk, according to CNN.

Weakening to a "post-tropical cyclone" Monday, Sandy remained a danger as it moved into Pennsylvania. The National Weather Service reported the storm about 90 miles west of Philadelphia at 5 a.m. ET.

Sustained winds remained around 65 mph, and the storm was moving west-northwest at 15 to 25 mph. The NWS stated gale-force winds would continue early Tuesday through the mid-Atlantic states from Virginia through New England.

Also, the combination of the storm surge and tide could cause more flooding, especially during high tide. Sandy, with sustained winds of 85 mph, struck along the New Jersey coast late Monday.

In Hartford, CT, Gov. Dannel Malloy has lifted the travel ban, according to WFSB.

"Use your heads when it comes to driving," Malloy said. "If a road appears impassable because of water, downed wires, fallen trees or other debris, do not attempt to drive through it."

Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating, the state's two largest utility companies, reported 634,446 customers were left in the dark Monday and Tuesday as a result of Sandy.

New York University's Langone Medical Center was forced to evacuate more than 260 patients after emergency generators stopped working.

According to CNN, newborn babies were among the patients evacuated, including four newborns who were on respirators and required a nurse to hand-squeeze a bag to get air into the baby's lungs.

Patients were moved to nearby hospitals.

Meanwhile, pockets of fire remain in Queens, according to the Fire Department of New York. More than 50 homes were completely destroyed by fire.

The New York Daily News reported nearly 200 firefighters were working to quell the fire. Getting to the fire was difficult due to flooding and once there, firefighters had trouble accessing hydrants submerged under the water.

The storm surge flooded Manhattan streets, with several images of flooded subway tunnels going viral throughout the night.

According to NBC News, the water level at Battery Park, located at the southern tip of Manhattan, rose to as high as 13.88 ft. That broke the previous record of 11.2 ft., set in 1821.

Joseph Lhota, chairman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that runs NYC's subway system, claimed the storm was the strongest the transit system has ever dealt with.

"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night," Lhota said. "Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on our entire transportation system, in every borough and county of the region. It has brought down trees, ripped out power and inundated tunnels, rail yards and bus depots."

The subway system is expected to be shut down for several days.

FEMA has announced "major disaster declarations" for parts of New York and New Jersey, and emergency declarations for Virginia and West Virginia. Federal emergency aid has been made available to supplement state and local response efforts, according to FEMA. 

Outside the U.S., one death in Canada was recorded, as well as 67 in the Caribbean, including 51 in Haiti, when Sandy passed through that area last week.

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