"It's shocking what I'm looking at now," said a tavern owner in Atlantic City as he described cars that were "completely underwater" when superstorm Sandy slammed into US.

The storm, which packed 80 mph winds, hit near Atlantic City.

"I've been down here for about 16 years, and it's shocking what I'm looking at now. It's unbelievable," CNN quoted Montgomery Dahm, owner of the Tun Tavern in Atlantic City, which stayed open as Sandy neared the Jersey Shore, as saying.

"I mean, there's cars that are just completely underwater in some of the places I would never believe that there would be water."

Dahm's family left Atlantic City before the storm arrived, but he stayed on to help emergency personnel.

On Monday night, Dahm said the water had reached the steps of his restaurant, where a generator was keeping the lights on.