Atlantic City Hurricane Sandy Devastation: Storm Rips Through Area (PHOTOS)

As communities along the East Coast assessed damage from Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday, Atlantic City, N.J. was among the areas most ravaged by the storm.

The gambling hotspot was pummeled by heavy winds, rains and storm surges, with officials telling the New York Times that as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, 70 to 80 percent of the city was underwater. The Wall Street Journal adds that 2,600 folks were bused to shelters and 13,600 residents remained without power as of Tuesday afternoon.

Atlantic City's storm struggles were accompanied by some political fire between Mayor Lorenzo Langford (D) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Christie accused Langford of sending mixed messages to his city regarding evacuation plans. Langford denied those claims, charging that Christie was playing politics, and that he was ready to go "mano-a-mano" with the governor.

UPDATE (7:40 p.m. ET Tuesday): Thomas R. Gilbert, District Commander of Atlantic City's Tourism District, released a statement on the condition of the city's boardwalk.

"The entire oceanfront Boardwalk in front of the Atlantic City casinos is undamaged with all dunes and lights intact. There is minimal-to no-visible damage to Casinos and other businesses fronting the Boardwalk along the ocean.

The Atlantic City Boardwalk that was washed out by Hurricane Sandy is an area limited to the Boardwalk fronting the Absecon Inlet only. That small section of the Boardwalk is located in South Inlet, a prominent residential section of Atlantic City. It is a small stretch of Boardwalk that is being shown in video footage and photos."

PHOTOS of the destruction: