"With this storm coming in, everyone's a little bit nervous," said Kevin King, a 41-year-old Maplewood, New Jersey, resident who was still without power.

"I've got twin preemies (premature infants) being released from a neonatal care unit and no power," he said. "I can't leave the area right now, I have to stay local."

Downed power lines and toppled utility poles still littered Maplewood streets, and King said PSE&G has frustrated residents by constantly shifting timetables of when restoration could be expected.

"If I knew it was going to be two weeks -- I know that's bad -- but at least you can plan for it," he said.

The PATH train between New Jersey and New York restarted limited service under the Hudson River Tuesday, after having been shutdown ahead of the approaching storm last week, while long, slow-moving lines stretched around polling stations across New York City.

Elections Commissioner J.C. Polanco called it "an interesting day" after the Board of Elections temporarily relocated or combined some polling locations because of storm damage.

But bigger concerns loomed over the incoming nor'easter predicted for later Tuesday, albeit a far less severe storm than Sandy.

"When it rains, it pours. When it storms, you get more storms," Cuomo said.

A nor'easter is a strong low pressure system with powerful northeasterly winds coming from the ocean ahead of a storm.

"What has compounded the problem has been the quote-unquote 'panic buying,' " Cuomo added, referring to long lines that continue to wrap around gas stations as residents frantically stockpile reserves.

In Staten Island, resident Katie Fairley, 25, said people were still sleeping in their cars.

She said it felt like Staten Islanders had been forgotten, leaving them largely to fend for themselves.

"Thank God, we have each other here."