President Barack Obama took time out of his presidential election campaign schedule, which is near an end considering Election Day 2012 is on Nov. 6, to address Hurricane Sandy and its widespread effect on the U.S.'s East Coast.

He suspended campaigning for the third day on Wednesday and on Tuesday, during a visit to the Red Cross headquarters, he said that the fury of Hurricane Sandy "is not over said," with flooding and downed power lines still a threat to many residents. President Obama also added that the storm was "heartbreaking for the nation" and that there was "for excuse for inaction" for government officials regarding cleanup and support for those hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.

During his Monday address to the nation, President Obama cautioned the public to "prepare for the fact that this is going to take a long time for us to clean up."

"The good news is we will clean up and we will get through this," the president said.

"The election will take care of itself next week," the president said. "Right now out number one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives, that our search and rescue teams are going to be in place, that people are going to get the food, the water, the shelter that they need in case of emergency and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track."

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney resumed his campaign schedule in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, but added that he plans to turn his rally in Ohio into a "storm relief event," according to Fox News.

Election Day 2012 is Nov. 6, giving the candidates less than a week to put in their last efforts before the public votes. Hurricane Sandy might give Obama an advantage at showing the nation how he can lead them through another natural disaster, while Romney might use the storm to explain how his methods for dealing with a disaster might be better.

Tags
Election day 2012, President barack obama, Hurricane sandy