Residents in the outer boroughs hit hardest by the effects of Hurricane Sandy braved another cold night in blacked-out homes without running water or proper food supplies yesterday.
Amid the lingering devastation, there was a flicker of hope in downtown Manhattan where some beleaguered New Yorkers had their power restored, which would help pave the way for more subway-service restorations, officials said.
Among the other storm developments yesterday:
* The New York City Marathon was canceled after The Post’s revelation about critical resources being taken for the event led to widespread public outcry. Now those resources will go to storm-battered residents.
* Even with the power restoration, as of early this morning, 97,000 Manhattan customers remained without electricity — along with another 183,000 elsewhere in the city.
* Temperatures are set to plunge to the mid-30s tonight and tomorrow night — as a powerful nor’easter is forecast to bring even more rain and possible flooding to the area Wednesday and Thursday. Wind chills will dip into the 20s.
* Residents of the battered Rockaways and Staten Island battled Third World conditions from their powerless homes. They continue to live without plumbing, water and heat. Even the arrival of a few aid workers couldn’t stop people from feeling “left for dead.”
* The region’s mass-transit systems continued coming back to life, with restoration of more sections of city subway lines and regional commuter-rail lines, as well as the return of Staten Island Ferry service.
* Officials ended the rule requiring cars to have at least three people to enter Manhattan at most river crossings — but warned it could resume if traffic again overwhelms the island.
* Gas-starved drivers waited hours in lines more than a mile long to fuel up at stations around the city. Stations in the city and suburbs began rationing gas.
* City schools resume classes Monday — with the exception of students who attend 65 storm-damaged schools. They will start classes at other locations on Wednesday after the scheduled Election Day holiday.
* Sandy’s death toll, which city officials said stood at 41, was lowered to 40 as the medical examiner said one death was not storm-related. Sources say there are now 17 people missing citywide.
* State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said the short-term losses to New York’s economy from Sandy could near $18 billion.
* The Holland Tunnel was reopened — but only for bus service for now.
* The state Labor Department was awarded a nearly $14 million federal grant to hire about 1,400 dislocated workers for cleanup efforts in the city, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland counties.
* The Army Corps of Engineers will spend $10 million to hire private contractors to clear major debris that’s stalling efforts to restore power to the city, Long Island and Westchester.
* At the The New York Aquarium in Coney Island, which has been without power since Monday night, workers struggled to keep aquatic animals alive and considered moving animals including walruses and penguins to other facilities.
* The majority of city parks and playgrounds were reopened.
* Many stores saw Christmas-season-like crowds of shoppers looking for some retail therapy.“No one can shop below 34th Street, so they are all coming here,” said an overwhelmed salesperson at The Gap store in Times Square.
* The NFL Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers will play their scheduled game tomorrow at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin said “the mission will be quite clear . . . trying to provide a few hours of enjoyment for so many that have been devastated.”
People last night were already enjoying the restoration of power in much of Manhattan below 34th Street — and planning to let off steam before Monday’s relative return to normalcy.
Aylin Emeksyz, a business consultant living downtown said, “Tomorrow I’ll start reading e-mails. There will be tons of them. I can’t wait to watch TV and find out what’s happening. Friends were calling, saying congratulations, and I was like thanks, whatever, but it will sink in tomorrow.”
Chelsea resident Yetta Kurland, 44, said, “I’m looking forward to being able to take a hot shower.” part of a group of volunteers handing out hot meals and bottled water on Seventh Avenue, added, “I’m looking forward to not having to worry about whether my neighbors are eating and drinking.”
Rayna Webber, 27, a Canadian living in New York for the year, said, “We’ll just walk around and try to enjoy ourselves.
But Mayor Bloomberg sounded a somber note even as many Gothamites got ready to quaff a much-deserved brew, catch a football game on the tube or just enjoy lazing around with the lights on.
“The truth of the matter is, while life in much of our city is getting back to normal, for New Yorkers that have lost loved ones, the storm left a wound that I think will never heal,” he said.
Additional reporting by Erin Calabrese, Kaylee Osowski and Rebecca Rosenberg