Gov. Chris Christie said earlier Wednesday that he and New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo wouldn't compete for available federal disaster dollars.
The pair has released the following statement:
“Our states took a devastating blow from Hurricane Sandy, and our respective cost estimates to restore and rebuild reflect the ferocity of Sandy and the impact to our transportation and utilities infrastructures, our economies, tourism industries and, most importantly, the lives, homes and livelihoods of our citizens. Our economies and infrastructures are inextricably linked and, in many ways, dependent on one another, which is why we share common goals in the rebuilding effort. We will work with our respective Congressional delegations and the Obama Administration to ensure that our states receive federal support commensurate with the damage wrought by the storm and experienced by our residents.
"Our requests also include necessary prevention and mitigation efforts as prudence dictates that we not suffer this great a human or financial loss again.
"It is our shared commitment to the people of our states to work in partnership so that our needs are met and we receive as much federal support as possible.”