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Mark Lennihan / AP file
A piece of construction equipment works on the pile of debris, collected during the cleanup from superstorm Sandy, in the parking lot of Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaway section of the Queens borough of New York, Nov. 14.
New York state and New Jersey need at least $71.3 billion to recover from the devastation wrought by superstorm Sandy and prevent similar damage from future storms, according to their latest estimates.
The total, which could grow, came as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday the state will need $41.9 billion, including $32.8 billion to repair and restore damaged housing, parks and infrastructure and to cover lost revenue and other expenses. The figure also includes $9.1 billion to mitigate potential damage from future severe weather events, Cuomo said.
Neighboring New Jersey, which saw massive damage to its transit system and coastline, suffered at least $29.4 billion in overall losses, according to a preliminary analysis released by Gov. Chris Christie's office Friday. The preliminary cost estimate includes federal aid New Jersey has received so far.
By some measures, Sandy was worse than Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which tore into the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, Cuomo said.
Sandy destroyed 305,000 houses in New York state - a still provisional number that's likely to grow - compared with the 214,700 destroyed in Louisiana by Katrina and Rita.
Sandy also caused nearly 2.2 million power outages at its peak in the state, compared with 800,000 from Katrina and Rita in Louisiana, and impacted 265,300 businesses compared to 18,700, Cuomo said.
While Sandy may have damaged more homes and businesses, Katrina took a far greater toll on human lives, killing more than 1,800 people directly or indirectly. Sandy, by comparison, is believed to have killed at least 121 people.
"Hurricane Katrina got a lot of notoriety for the way government handled -- or mishandled, depending on your point of view -- the situation," Cuomo said at a press conference.
But considering the dense population of the area Sandy impacted and costs to the economy, housing and businesses, the damage done "was much larger in Hurricane Sandy than in Hurricane Katrina, and that puts this entire conversation, I believe, in focus," Cuomo said.
New York to hire 5,000 temp workers for Sandy cleanup
Sandy made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29. It blasted through the Northeastern U.S., devastating homes, forcing evacuations, crippling power systems and shutting down New York City's subway system for days.
The total cost to the region is still not known as estimates of the damage, as well as future repair and prevention costs, continue to come in from states, cities and counties.
Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday he will ask Congress for $9.8 billion to pay for Sandy costs not covered by insurance or other federal funds.
In a letter to New York's congressional delegation, Bloomberg said public, private and indirect losses to the city from the devastating late-October storm stood at $19 billion.
Of that, private insurance is expected to cover $3.8 billion, with Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements to cover at least an additional $5.4 billion, Bloomberg said in a statement.
The city still will need the additional $9.8 billion to help pay for costs that FEMA does not cover, like hazard mitigation, long-term housing, shoreline restoration and protection efforts, he said.
Mario Tama / Getty Images
Residents of the Northeast are still picking up the pieces after Superstorm Sandy.
Whatever the final tally, officials are beginning to pressure Congress for federal assistance.
Cuomo met on Monday with the state's congressional delegation and county officials. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement that New York's Congressional delegation will push hard for additional federal funding.
"The federal government has a clear responsibility to commit all of the necessary resources to help us rebuild," she said.
Getting federal funds could be a tough fight, because of pressure on lawmakers to cut spending and raise taxes in order to shrink the federal deficit.
"This will be an effort that lasts not weeks, but many months, and we will not rest until the federal response meets New York's deep and extensive needs," said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer in a statement.
Cuomo's earlier estimates had pegged the total amount of damages for the region at $50 billion, with about $33 billion of that incurred in New York state.
In New York City, Bloomberg said on Monday that the city had about $4.8 billion of uninsured private losses, $3.8 billion of insured private losses, and $4.5 billion in losses to city agencies.
Reconstructing the city's damaged roads alone could cost nearly $800 million, Bloomberg said. New York City, a financial and tourism center, also lost about $5.7 billion in gross city product, he said.
Included in Cuomo's nearly $9.1 billion of mitigation costs are what he called "common sense" actions, like flood protection for the World Trade center site, roads, subway tunnels and sewage treatment plants, as well as power generators for the region's fuel supply system and backup power for health care facilities.
"We will see new projects," said Mysore Nagaraja, former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Capital Construction Co.
"In order to justify whatever money they finally end up getting, they have to come up with this list of projects that need to be done so that the future Sandy will not have the impact it had this time," he said.
Nagaraja is currently chairman of Spartan Solutions LLC, an infrastructure consulting firm.
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Leave a Comment:
The cost is inflated 50 billion due to the Union debacle, no federal money as we don't want to pay for outrageous labor costs.......
Seven2Seven
The cost was probably inflated by a few billions to ensure CEOS of corporations can make more money off the american taxpayer. After all, we are going to be paying to rebuild. Perhaps these corporations can also bring in foreign labor to do the job and get a new tax credit through congress via the GOP to do it too.
Not all unions are corrupt or want outrageous pay. Just look at Hostess.. 6 CEOS in 3 years, filed bankruptcy twice, and yet they gave themselves million in a raise for their salary, but asked the workers to REDUCE their wages.
I say... Let's put a little work 'in the welfare' program. There should be abled bodied individuals in this part of the country that can work for their pay.
You might want to liquidate your 401k now and buy gold.
Laugh if you want but this may very well drive America into default.
Good luck America.
ItsAboutTime-3704531....."I say... Let's put a little work 'in the welfare' program. There should be abled bodied individuals in this part of the country that can work for their pay."
Exactly right. Workers can be found hanging out in the "Obama Bucks" Social Welfare line in downtown NYC.
BS. NJ alone is reporting $29 billion in physical damage. Ever heard of Highlands, NJ? How about Manasquan? It doesn't matter anymore. The towns no longer exist, along with several others. It's hard to exaggerate the magnitude of this thing..
I can't believe I'm reading this carp. Such bitterness. So.. none of us should be responsible for anyone else but ourselves? Why not just break up the republic then? I mean, what's the purpose of being a country if we help either other? We'll keep our cities, our tech, our financial and intellectual capital, our industries, our universities. Y'all keep your drought, your coal mines, your religious extremism, your prison labor camps, and your cockroach eating contests.
This is snark, and I'm being facetious.. I certainly don't feel that way, but that's really how some of your comments are coming off...
A couple things.
First, NO was given notice about hurricane Katrina, but they chose to ignore it pretty much. That was why there was a huge loss of lives. The decision making process by the major of NO and the governor was where the blame needed to be put. Prior to Katrina, hurricane response from the federal government went about as well as any federal agency normally functions. It was NO that failed itself. Do you remember the parking lots full of buses - hundreds as I recall, that never got moved nor used to help evacuate people.
To be blunt, the east coast, my birth place, is a much smarter group of citizens and the state governments are much better prepared than other locations in the US. Still, many things have gone wrong and many are still without power and direction. Katrina was graded an F. I would say Sandy was a solid C plus.
If the oceans are in fact rising, why rebuild these structures if they are in harm's way? We need to have this discussion and leave emotions to the side.
With respect to everybody taking care of themselves, we are not headed in that direction. Life in the country vs life as a city dweller are two different lifestyles with the latter being very dependent on the variety of governments.
I live where it gets to be -30, often with high winds and very deep snow. We are not featured on the Weather channel that likes to champion the poor and down trodden. Yet, rural life is often poor and down trodden but there aren't enough of us to matter. It is about size and influence. I live on a farm. Try feeding farm animals when the power goes off the conditions I mentioned above. I have done it many times and one mistake outside and I am history since who is going to come find my frozen body. I am not depending on anybody but me, myself and I.
Who cares ? NY and Nj are worthless states we can do without.
This should put it into perspective for most of the idiots.
Under Obamas watch there has been a Sandy added to the National Debt every TWO weeks since he took office.
OUCH! Americas grandchildren are a doomed civilization.
Drink the kool-aide kiddos.
ldo
Interesting.. but why are the 1200 millionaires who did not pay any taxes last year not in that video? Why don't we see the CEO of GE in that line too, they paid NO taxes in 2010, and lastly.... why isn't ROMNEY in that same line. He didn't pay taxes from 1997 to 2007 and used the MORMON church as a tax shield.
Seems to me.. they should be in that line?
The cost is inflated because it is some of the most expensive real estate in the country.-Not because of unions. Stop making stuff up.
Was it Nacy Pelosi that said "We just needed to make up a REALLY BIG number." ?
It just feels like I have heard all of this before.
Just curious here. Will we now be catagorizing our superstorms?? I mean it went from Hurricane to "Superstorm" So I would suggest "Superstorm Epic class - SuperSuperstorm- possibly even Megadeath potential storm!!!
Hello................ people...... first you build on a flood plain, and then you build your house on mother natures front door step(the ocean) and then you want us to pay for your stupidiness, I don't think so. move you rich ass to higher ground.
Please remember your comment if a tornado, flood, fire, or any other natural disaster hits your part of the world. Then we can ask you TO MOVE to another part of the earth where we don't have to pay for your stupidness
Exactly.
This is the same as the Japan and Indonesia tsunami destruction.
People build next to the ocean at an average elevation of 10' or less.
When will they ever learn?
What if mother nature's front door keeps creeping closer to you. People in Louisiana did not necessarily build their house at mother nature's front door. We can thank global warming and the oil companies.
I live in North Carolina. The numbers are actually factual. It is a shame, but we here in the south have been living this for decades. We KNOW.
I don't feel sorry for you one bit, the gov't we have elected has fore seen this for a long time. global warming it is at your front step. She is coming back to make your life a misrible hell homeless, hungry and unemployed.
71 billion? ....is that all? hell we are talking about Barry are you kidding? he will just redesign the math yet once again and throw money at it.... its his one and ONLY solution to everything........but hey YOU voted for it .....good luck with that.....contact F.R. she has all the answers. course shes in chitoen and works for nbc but what the heck right? after all a libs a lib........................
We could have put Romney in charge.... in 2005 when waterbury mass was devastated by a flood, a bipartisan legislature voted for 4.1 million to shore up against future floods. Romney vetoed it. Then in the 2011 Republicant debates, he said the states and the private sector should take care of these things. But 6 years ago.. he voted against it?????? Then in 2012, one week before the election, he said he supported FEMA.
Had we put Romney in there, those people would have had to check the news to see if Romney would have flip flopped or if the Kochs Brothers had written a check.
Aren't you PROUD of Iowa for going with Obama again? As a born and raised Iowan of 25 years (and now Texas by way of Kentucky Transplant), I am glad to see my home state has REJECTED the GOP yet again.
No.. we won against the RED menace and the band of followers from the Ministry of Lies Faux News. You must be one that likes.... to redistribute wealth from the lower/middle class to the rich and corporations. The red menace followers who pushed to tell us what we can and cannot do with our bodies, who we can marry, what religion we should follow, and our family relationships should be lost.
Ummm, anybody noticing they are comparing what happened during Sandy to what happened to Louisiana during Katrina. What about Mississippi and Alabama? There were parts of Mississippi that were flattened. Did they just totally forget about that state? And worse than Katrina? I'm sorry. Did I miss the part where the people of New York and New Jersey had to wait on their rooftops for days so someone would rescue them? This story is a bunch of bs.
Having talked to someone firsthand who has seen both because of the job she does- she did acknowledge that some areas of Sandy were comparable to Katrina. The difference is that Sandy hit a more densely populated area and many people's second homes were affected.
Just have Congress chip in 1/2 its compensation for the next 16 years.
Freedom Supporter...I'm not sure where you live or where you're from, but you are grossly misinformed. The storm impacted people of ALL socioeconomic levels. Many from much poorer neighborhoods (i.e. The Rockaways) were some of the most severely impacted. It's a natural disaster. Natural disasters can impact those living in all areas across the globe. Many of the coastal areas were, in fact, elevated and still sustained massive damage due to wind. Keep your comments to yourself. Millions of people along the East Coast are dealing with the tragedy and it's aftermath. Have some sensitivity.
Maybe it is time to turn to God and ask for HIS forgiveness for how we think and then HIS protection over our land. Are all these escalating trajedies just a coincedence. Or is the Creator making a few statements. Please continue to pray for those who have lost so much.
It isn't God that is causing our climate to change, its our massive and unchecked pollution of the planet which is causing the climate to change. Sandy wasn't created by climate change, but she was exacerbated by it. Too bad many of us are burying our heads in the sand. One day we won't be able to ignore mother nature any longer.
No comparing here! Why don't these states allow the people who went through this to do the clean up and work with PAY? That would help them alot. They would use the energy they have and make MONEY to pay their way. The Union needs to take a back seat & let these people work. Life is tough enough esp. when they don't have a job to go to. NJ & NY take care of your own.
It's a good thing we are not broke and can afford to rebuild - o wait we are broke luckily China has our jobs and plenty of money to loan us. America is doomed.
That money just goes from one set of people to another, so what's the difference? It's the same as with Repugnican-supported wealth redistribution from the poor to the rich.
No taxpayer money should go to any construction within 2 miles of the ocean.
No taxpayer money should go to any private property construction anywhere!
T-Y-P-I-C-A-L----estimating the monetary loss,BEFORE the most important priority---the HIGHER price that was paid---with human lives...some people are always looking through that $$$$$ tunnel vision....
Gotta love our priorities, huh shadylady...
Maybe one day we'll all wise up.
Why doesn't NY & NJ pay the people who lost so much to do the clean up? Put the money back in their pockets. I am sure there are all kinds of quilfied people there. The Unions need to step aside & let the people who have made them rich, get some money and a piece of mind back! I am sure they have a lot of built up and anger they could work off & in return get some income & peace with in themselves.
What??? 71 thousand million dollars?? I feel bad for the people that are still without services. It's really messed up. But I believe there are more storms to come, call it global warming or an act of God, they are coming and it ain't gonna be pretty. I believe the Word Repent is in order. Repent does not mean saying you're sorry, but it means to return to the way of God. Return to His Torah, the Word spoken at Mt. Siani. Jesus said that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. That was His Torah. No condemnation, just asking all to look into it. He does Love us all. But by His Word, it's gonna get real bad...
If they ARE coming, I believe "ORGY" is a better word.
God has nothing to do with climate change Pakinpastor..., climate change is caused by man. Man is destroying on his own this world that God created. Our society does need to repent, though, for all the damage we've caused upon mother Earth. It is dangerous to think it is all in Gods hands, because that is a complete copout, it is in our hands and we are royally screwing this planet up.
I find it a bit contradictory that republicans want less federal interference yet are the first to demand federal aid when a disaster happens...hm
So Sen.Kirsten thinks the Federal Government has a clear responsibility to commit all of the necessary resources to rebuild.Bullfeathers!!Doesn't New york and New Jersey two of the richest states have any resources????? Does she think this is another bailout??Perhaps she can find that proverbial money tree in the "Garden State"If these states unlike other states can't find a way to handle this themselves shame on them. God helps those that help themselves.Maybe Cristi can roll up his sleaves and help.He could lose a little weight.Hopefully a hard days work and a cold glass of water doesn't kill him.If they expect the Feds help perhaps they could raise taxes in N.Y and N.J.There's plenty of money there but some are so tight they wouldn;t pay a nickle to see Christ come down the street on roller skates.Schumer is trying to create the impression he's,the constituent of the people at somebody elses expence.They can spend their own money.THAT FOLKS IS THE PROBLEM WE HAVE AND WHY THE COUNTRY IS IN SUCH A MESS??
Funny thing... The people who need the Most help won't see a penny.... It will ALL go to those who are the haves....
So here the thing, they only need half the amount to fix it. But have to as for twice as much to get only a 1/3 of what they will recieve... Out of that "Only the RICH will recieve the money...... What a shame, if only the rich remembered or even cared about the little guy that made them rich in the first place.
For the people going back and forth on the Union comments....New York has some of the greediest unions in the county. Construction projects routinely last 50% longer. For example, Yankee Stadium was only suppose to be about 750 million cost to the city. It landed up 1.5 billion later and there were people just drawing a paycheck and not working. How can CA DOT put in a 3 mile extension from LAX to the 10 interchange in 15 months and the BQE expressway is still under construction 15 years later?
Next, I completely agree that if you are going to rebuild within the flooded areas that homes need to go up on stilts on 10ft concrete foundations without a basement. Many places landed up burning down because the power was kept on so pumps could pump the basements. And that goes for people in NJ along the Paterson River who routinely flood every March. It has got to stop. We are just throwing money away. And insurance companies should charge extra premiums for these people who don't want to raise up houses or continue to build in these areas that always flood. Baldwin Harbor on Long Island floods at high tide on a full moon all the time.
And to ctharwick...NY and NJ have expensive real estate and wealth but the states themselves are mired in deficits and pension obligations that they will not be able to pay. But since we continue to elect liberal after liberal after liberal, higher taxes and spending have become the NY metro area way of life.
john
they have been fixing the BQE since the completion in 1964 it only took 8 years to go the 10 blocks
from laurel hill to woodside ave. and if it wasn't for the 1964 world fair it never would have been fast tracked.
nanny bloomberg should raise the soda tax to $1 per 8 oz serving. pay for sandy with soda.
Well you made my point. People spend their entire construction careers on a project. I lived all over the country and it only goes in the NY metro area. I even lived in Las Vegas during the construction boom where projects would actually finish.
friggin stop it already, you are asking the southern states who get pounded by hurricanes and tornados to help. screw you. really we have on the average of 16 billion a year as income to the new york- new jersey at some where in the 350 billion to help get a life already
Junga - The southern states cant help if they are taking in more federal dollars than they send. The southern states are some of the biggest welfare queens this nation has ever seen and you want to complain when those states that consistently help them need a hand?
junga
Maybe you should look to as why the southern states can't produce much more than they do now.
The last decade I have lived in Missouri and Texas. the people are great however they don't have the fire
in the belly to really achieve greater goals. Take Austin, Texas I-35 goes right thru downtown it's been a
traffic disaster for 10 years and the city fathers keep talking about bike lanes. I'm glad I don't live there.
As to hurricanes New Orleans is a perfect example of southern ingenuity, a city below sea level they get
three days notice to evacuate, thousand sit on their a$$ and then the mayor forgets to send over 200
buses which could have evacuate over 10,000 and keeps them in the city to be destroyed.