Just an update from Long Beach, NY, which is different than Long Beach Island (LBI), NJ, although both got hammered by Sandy.

First, while there have been reports on the radio that Nat Guard is stopping people on the bridge, it isn't true at least on the bridge I have been using. You can drive right in and out. I think the stories are disinfo to keep the looters away, but they aren't true.

Different parts of the island have different types of damage, but overall, the island is uninhabitable. No water and no power, with the latter out for potentially more than a month. Most everyone has evacuated, although you see people during the day ripping out carpet, throwing out contaminated furniture, and on occasion, sitting on the sidewalk weeping.

The Nat Guard is only around sunup to sundown, which is weird since they are supposed to be stopping looters. But they do have truckloads of water and MREs. I will agree with OP that the agencies and gov people generally are not doing shit. They put the big X with stats on each house, like Katrina, but with a sticker rather than spray paint. But not much else. LB had street cleaners rolling down the street today, but it was ludicrous, as they washed down streets that were piled several feet high on either side with thrown out furniture, carpeting, drywall and flooring.