The day after Sandy made landfall, President Obama had this to say to the American people.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama saying

"My instructions to the federal agency are -- do not figure out why we can't do something figure out how we do something. I want you to cut through red tape to cut through bureaucracy. There is no excuse for inaction at this point. I want every agency to lean forward and to make sure that we are getting the resources to where they are needed as quick as possible."

Ahead of Sandy's arrival, both candidates canceled campaign stops --- both careful not to appear too focused on politics with so many Americans in harm's way.

On Wednesday, Republican Mitt Romney also honored the many people along the east coast whose lives were disrupted by the storm --- by organizing a food bank in the battleground state of Ohio.

SOUNDBITE: Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney saying:

"We have heavy hearts as you know with all the suffering going on in a major part of our country, a lot of people hurting this morning, they were hurting last night and the storm goes on."

The latest Reuters Ipsos poll shows Obama with a slim lead, 47 percent to Romney 46 percent with less than a week to go before election day.