New Yorkers are battling a record storm surge as floodwaters from Sandy have overrun portions of the city from Lower Manhattan to the Rockaways, stranding scores of residents and leaving hundreds of thousands without electrical power.

As of late Monday night, there were reports of numerous residents trapped in their homes due to the high waters that submerged portions of Staten Island and the Rockaways. With many roads impassable, the Fire Department was forced to reach those trapped by boat.

An MTA spokesperson said that water has entered tunnels on the 1 line between Chambers Street to South Ferry in Lower Manhattan, subway tunnels under the East River, and the subway yard at 148th Street in Harlem.

The agency expects water in all subway lines in Lower Manhattan, but MTA crews say they will wait until the high tide and flood waters recede on Tuesday before they can pump out the water.

Meanwhile, more than 500,000 customers are without power throughout the five boroughs, including portions of Manhattan from the southern tip up to 39th Street.

According to Consolidated Edison, by around 11 p.m. there were approximately 249,264 customers in Manhattan without power, as well as about 70,629 customers without power in Brooklyn, about 72,965 customers in Queens, 74,851 customers in Staten Island and about 38,903 customers in the Bronx.

John Miksad, Con Ed's senior vice president of electric operations, said that there was an explosion at a Con Ed substation at East 14th Street and the FDR Drive.

According to Miksad, the explosion affected approximately 310,000 customers total.

There were no injuries in the explosion and no workers were trapped, according to Miksad, and the cause of the incident is still under investigation.

Miksad said it was too early to give a firm timetable for restoring power to customers affected by the damaged substation.

"We are in a bit of uncharted territory," he said.

Miksad also said those affected by an outage of this magnitude should not expect backup generators from Con Ed.

Before the explosion at the Con Ed substation, Miksad said Con Ed pre-emptively shut off three networks, two in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn, in anticipation of high tides, which Miksad said reached peak levels of as high as 14 feet.

Miksad estimated that it would take three to four days to restore power to the three networks pre-emptively shut off once Con Ed could get access to them.

According to Miksad, the pre-planned outages affected approximately 34,000 customers.

Miksad said there was also a separate, significant outage in Staten Island.

According to Miksad, customer counts could continue to rise. Estimates for restoration could also change as Con Ed workers assess the damage, according to Miksad.

To report a power outage, call 1-800-75-ConEd or log on to coned.com.

According to the National Weather Service, the water level at the Battery has exceeded 13 feet, surpassing the all-time record of 11.2 feet set in 1821.

"The storm has met our expectations," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters at a Monday night press conference.

Among the storm's effects, Bloomberg said that the backup power at NYU Langone Medical center had failed and that 215 patients were moved to nearby facilities.

The mayor urged taxi and livery drivers to clear the roads for emergency vehicles and told New Yorkers, "Stay wherever you are."

Police say the 60th Precinct House in Coney Island was evacuated to another Brooklyn precinct. Officers in the 60th Precinct are still conducting patrols in the area.

Rising floodwaters have forced the Port Authority to close LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro Airports.

Mayor Bloomberg said in his Monday night press conference that the heaviest rain has passed and the rest of the rain will be only showers.

In addition to the Bayonne Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the Verrazano-Narrows, Throgs Neck and George Washington Bridges to be shut down at 7 p.m.

Earlier on Monday, both the Holland Tunnel and Brooklyn-Battery Hugh. L. Carey tunnel were closed to traffic due to flooding.

The MTA posted a message on Twitter at approximately 8:45 p.m. saying that the Queens Midtown Tunnel was closed, effective immediately.

The FDR Drive between the Battery and 155th Street is also closed.

It is unclear when these bridges and roadways will reopen.

The mayor says the city's public schools will remain closed Tuesday and that New Yorkers should be prepared to feel the effects of the storm through Wednesday.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management headquarters will be open 24 hours during the duration of the storm, getting updates from different agencies around the city, and the agency turned 76 public schools around the city into evacuation shelters.

Sandy also forced the New York City Department of Homeless Services to relocate nine homeless shelters and one intake center, transporting more than 1,000 people out of the evacuation zone. Single adults were sent to the Bedford-Atlantic Armory in Brooklyn, while families were sent to El Camino in Queens.

According to the city comptroller's office, the city has approved the purchasing of up to $16 million in emergency storm supplies.

During a morning briefing at the World Trade Center, Governor Cuomo announced officials are keeping a close eye on the storm's threat, mainly surges in and around the lowest lying areas of the city.

Officials say they are also concerned about the World Trade Center site, but the governor said he believes they are prepared at the site.

Cuomo says he has spoken with President Barack Obama and thanked him for the federal support and has called up an additional 1,000 National Guardsmen.

Speaking from the White House, President Obama echoed both the mayor and governor's calls for people to take storm seriously and follow the instructions of local officials.

The president also said he anticipates lots of power outages and transportation backlogs once the storm passes through.

Con Ed has several reminders for customers on how to stay safe:

- If you see downed electrical wires, do not go near them or touch them with any object.
Always assume any wire is electrified.

- If your power does go out, turn off your appliances so the circuits don't get overloaded when the power comes back on.

- Double-check your flashlights and radios and make sure you know where they are and where your spare batteries are.

Mayor Bloomberg's Monday Night Storm Update

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials gave an update Monday night about Sandy's impact.