Rachel Moran of Oceanside takes a picture of Billy Farr of Long Beach among the wreckage of the boardwalk in Long Beach, N.Y., on Friday.(Photo: Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)
New York State will seek at least $30 billion from the federal
government to fund recovery from Superstorm Sandy, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
said Monday.
Such a request, combined with similarly large
applications expected from New Jersey and other states, would likely
make the devastating storm that struck two weeks ago the second most
expensive in U.S.history.
The money would be used to repair and
rebuild damaged bridges, tunnels, rail and subway lines, help small
businesses and aid New Yorkers struggling to rebuild their homes, said
Cuomo.
"I think, on the merits, this is a very clear case for the State of New York," Cuomo said during a Monday news briefing.
In
part, the federal funding would have to come from a special
appropriation through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said.
That would require congressional approval, which he said would probably
be considered on a regional basis on behalf of all the states battered
by the storm.
"This is quite common, and it has been done in other areas that were not nearly as affected as New York," said Cuomo.
The plan, first reported by The New York Times, is based on an estimated $50 billion in storm damages.
Separately,
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a $500 million emergency
plan to make critical repairs to public schools and public hospitals
damaged by the storm. The spending, which the City Council is likely to
approve Tuesday, is in addition to more than $134 million in emergency
funding already approved.
Comptroller John C. Liu said that the
city's finances "are secure enough to withstand this need" but that "we
will work to recover these funds from FEMA."
Sandy left more than 100 people dead across several states, most of them in New York and neighboring New Jersey.
USA Today