Bloomberg says total cost of Sandy to NY is $19bn

The Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg says the total cost to the city of Hurricane Sandy is over $19bn (€14.6bn).

He has called on federal authorities to release funds to the city, which he says are essential if New York is to recover in the long term.

Last month's so-called 'Superstorm' caused massive damage to the eastern US, flooding New York's subway, knocking out power and damaging tens of thousands of homes.