President Obama To Visit New York Next Week To View Sandy Recovery Efforts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- President Barack Obama will travel to New York on Thursday to view recovery efforts from superstorm Sandy, the White House said Friday.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama will meet with affected families, local officials and first responders who have been dealing with the massive storm's aftermath. New York officials estimate damage from Sandy could total $33 billion in the state.
Sandy rattled parts of New York City and New Jersey with a storm surge reaching 14 feet, killing more than 100 people and leaving millions without power.
Obama traveled to the New Jersey coastline Oct. 31 to meet with Gov. Chris Christie and view recovery efforts in coastal communities.
The same day Obama met with Christie, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he spoke to Obama and his chief of staff, Jack Lew, and told them the city would "love to have him, but we've got lots of things to do."
Bloomberg said that he wasn't trying to "dis" the president and that his trip to New Jersey on Wednesday would represent the whole region.
The mayor also spoke highly of the relationship between federal and local officials. He said that on a conference call with the president and other mayors and governors of affected areas, everybody kept saying, "Thank you for the service."
Last Friday, Obama declared Westchester and Rockland counties Major Disaster areas.
The declaration means the federal government can send aid to state and local governments and makes federal funding available to affected individuals. That assistance includes grants for temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans to cover property losses, and more.
"New York appreciates all the support we have received from Washington as we continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
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