NEW YORK CITY — Hurricane Sandy's wave of devastation across the five boroughs will cost New York a whopping $33 billion dollars in damage and economic loss, Gov. Andrew Cuomo estimated Thursday.
The storm, which pummeled the city last week with brutal winds and historic storm surges caused massive power outages, flooding and loss of life across the region, including hard-hit areas of Staten Island, Coney Island and the Rockaways in Queens.
“That is a staggering number, especially with the financial situation we’ve been in," Cuomo told reporters at a press briefing at his Midtown office, referring to the state's already shaky budget situation.
He estimated the total cost to the region would top $50 billion.
For more on how the storm has affected the city, below is a look at Hurricane Sandy's impact by the numbers.
- 41 - Death toll in the city.
- 80 - Estimated number of homes destroyed by a massive fire in Breezy Point.
- More Than 13 feet - Size of the storm surge that hit Lower Manhattan.
- 900,000 - Estimated number of homes in New York City and Westchester that were without power after the storm first hit, according to Con Edison.
- 75,000 - Estimated number of homes in that area still without power as of 11 a.m. on Thursday.
- $10 - $12 Million - the estimated cost of emergency contracts approved by the City Comptroller's office for Hurricane Irene in 2011.
- $29.9 Million - total amount of emergency contracts approved for Hurricane Sandy as of 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, according to a spokesman for Comptroller John Liu.
According to the comptroller's office, that price tag included:
- $12 Million for heavy equipment and construction.
- $750,000 for structural engineers.
- $7 Million for sanitation equipment.
- $30,000 for laptops being used at City Hall.
- $12,150 on refrigeration trailers for the Chief Medical Examiner.
- $5 Million for water pumping equipment.
- $3.2 Million for oxygen tanks, ambulances, emergency meals, sandbags, vacuum trucks and other emergency services.