Gallery: Hurricane Sandy in pictures

Hurricane Sandy, pictured at 1740 UTC, churns off the east coast as it moves north (GETTY IMAGES)

Hurricane Sandy has already battered the Caribbean, with winds topping 100mph, killing 66 people. Today it is forecast to make it's way across the east coast of the US.

Authorities in New York City yesterday shut down the transit system, while Mayor Bloomberg ordered the evacuation of parts of Manhattan. There are fears that the storm will affect voter turnout for the presidential election.

The Daily Beast has brought together a collection of images, capturing the chaos wreaked by the storm and the human cost as well as it's awesome magnitude. The photographs include flooding in North Carolina, fisherman strapped to rocks and forbidding clouds gathering over NYC.