In the worst-hit areas, many found a sense of pride in the national ritual.
On Long Beach and Atlantic Beach in Nassau County on Long Island, where piles of furniture and garbage line the streets, many residents took a break from sorting through their belongings. Three polling places that were flooded were consolidated into one.
"We have no power, we're freezing and I have nothing and I still voted," said Rachel Cabrera, 23.
Patrick Haugh, a retired New York City Sanitation Department supervisor and 31-year resident, said people up and down the street were encouraging one other.
"I'm an American," he said. "I've always voted."