The death toll from superstorm Sandy has reached more than 90 people as the US Coast Guard halted its search for the captain of a tall ship that sank off the North Carolina coast. The search for 63-year-old Robin Walbridge - which employed ships, helicopters and planes - was suspended after more than three days of around-the-clock effort. "Suspending a search and rescue case is one of the hardest decisions we have to make," said Captain Doug Cameron, the chief of incident response for the Coast Guard 5th District. Mr Walbridge was the captain of the three-masted tall ship, which sank before dawn Monday in hurricane-churned waters about 90 miles off Cape Hatteras. The crew abandoned ship in two life rafts, and the Coast Guard rescued 14 crew members. Claudene Christian, 42, was among those rescued, but she later died. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Walbridge and Christian families," Cameron said. The rising death toll comes as cities across the US East Coast continue their recovery efforts in the wake of the storm. New Jersey officials say they will deploy military trucks to serve as polling places on Election Day in storm-battered communities, and are also extending the deadline for mail-in ballots. The trucks will be parked at polling places that do not have power. The deadline for when clerks may accept mail-in ballot applications was also extended until the close of business on Friday. More than 4.6 million homes and businesses remain without electricity - down from a peak of 8.5 million. The total damage in the US from superstorm Sandy could run as high as $50 billion, according to the forecasting firm Eqecat.