Gary Hershorn/Reuters
People board a ferry bound for New York at a dock on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey, Friday. Four days after Sandy smashed into the Northeast, rescuers were still discovering the extent of the death and devastation, and anger mounted over gasoline shortages, power outages and waits for relief supplies.
Relief was on the way Friday for hurricane-weary New Yorkers, with power returning to Lower Manhattan, gasoline arriving in New York Harbor and the Staten Island Ferry resuming service.
The good news four days after Hurricane Sandy pounded the city into submission was tempered by new estimates that the state’s economic hit from the superstorm could exceed $18 billion.
“Our daily infrastructure of highways, power, sewer and water – the elements of modern life that we take for granted – have all been altered by this storm,” said State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, who released the new figure.
LIVE BLOG: TRACKING SANDY’S AFTERMATH
The death toll climbed to 41 across the five boroughs, with officials hopeful that the grim total would finally level off. Gov. Cuomo said the city and state were making the “transition to the reconstruction phase” after four days of rescue and recovery work.
About half the 2 million people without power are back online, and the lights should turn back on in flood-stricken Lower Manhattan on Friday afternoon, Cuomo said.
Food will be distributed Friday in two badly battered neighborhoods: Chinatown and the Rockaways. The Staten Island Ferry resumed action Friday after sitting idle since Sunday, one day before Sandy whipped up a 14-foot high surge in New York Harbor.
DiNapoli said restoring everything lost in the hurricane remained a daunting task.
“These are difficult days for New Yorkers as we work to clean up and recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy,” DiNapoli said.
PHOTO: SANDY’S TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION
“Lives have been lost, homes and property destroyed, and businesses large and small remain paralyzed across New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and the greater metropolitan region.”
To help, Cuomo has set aside $100 million into a fund dedicated for victims of superstorm Sandy and home repairs.
The governor also said emergency teams with experts on federal emergency response funds, state housing programs, and private insurance will arrive in New York next week.
In addition, Cuomo said the critical gasoline shortage should soon be alleviated now that New York Harbor is open again. Today, there is a tanker with 2 million gallons of gas unloading in the harbor.
Massive lines awaited drivers trying to fill up their vehicles at the scarce gas stations that still had fuel.
