Metro

Flood of crime

Hurricane Sandy has dredged up all of the bottom-feeders.

Since the devastating storm walloped the Big Apple beginning Monday night, the hardest-hit areas have been plagued with burglaries, street muggings and a crime wave that has residents and business owners living in fear, law-enforcement sources said.

Cops on the blacked-out Lower East Side are even warning residents not to use flashlight apps on their smartphones because of all the thieves lurking about.

“Don’t flash your telephone, there’s been a lot of muggings,” said an officer near East Houston and Ludlow streets.

Law-enforcement sources told The Post that people in lower Manhattan were getting mugged at ATMs while they were getting emergency cash right as the storm hit.

Unsuspecting residents are getting burglarized in the aftermath of the storm when they’re out for food and supplies.

“Somebody hiding in the dark of the hallway waits for them to leave and kicks in the door and burgles the place,” one source said. “They know that people will have cash on hand in their apartments.”

Reports of burglaries are expected to spike in downtown neighborhoods when displaced residents return in the coming days.

“Many people left their apartments after the storm hit and went to stay with friends and family uptown or somewhere else,” one police source said. “After they come, some of them are going to find their apartments burglarized.”

Eighteen thieves were collared for breaking into a Key Food in Coney Island, cops said.

An arraignment judge in Queens Criminal Court yesterday blasted 15 alleged store looters in the Rockaways — among the areas hardest hit by Sandy.

“These allegations are beyond the scope of what you think a human being would do after what we’ve suffered these last couple of days,” said Justice Stephanie Zaro.

Zaro set high bail for each defendant, even those who were first-time offenders. The amounts ranged from $5,000 to $100,000.

In Brooklyn Criminal Court, an assistant district attorney requested bail of more then $100,000 when a judge arraigned eight alleged looters.

In Queens, twin brothers were arraigned yesterday for allegedly stealing a U-Haul truck and breaking into a closed motorcycle shop.

Anthony and Sean Martin, 24, allegedly rammed their stolen truck through the gates of New York Motorcycle at 222-02 Jamaica Ave. but high-tailed out empty-handed.

They took off, leaving the U-Haul behind, and were caught an hour later — pulled over for allegedly failing to signal.

Additional reporting by Josh Saul and Tara Palmeri