By The Associated Press

Published: Thursday, November 15, 2012, 8:14 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, November 15, 2012

NEW YORK — President Obama vowed on Thursday to stick with New Yorkers still struggling 17 days after Superstorm Sandy “until the rebuilding is complete” after getting an up-close look at devastated neighborhoods rendered unlivable.

Obama brought the spotlight to people still without heat or electricity and hugged many of those trying to rebuild their lives.

He also delivered a post-election message of unity — nine days after a closely divided America gave him a second term.

“During difficult times like this, we're reminded that we're bound together and we have to look out for each other,” Obama said from a Staten Island street that was demolished by the storm. “And a lot of the things that seem important, the petty differences, melt away.”

Obama announced that Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, former chief of New York's Housing Authority, will be his point person to oversee long-term redevelopment in the region.

On a three-hour tour, the president encountered many still suffering in Sandy's aftermath and waiting in lines for food, supplies and other help.

He met privately with parents whose two young boys, Brandon and Connor Moore, were swept away by the powerful storm. Damien and Glenda Moore's children were among more than 100 people whose deaths were blamed on Sandy.

“I expressed to them — as a father, as a parent — my heartbreak over what they went through,” Obama said.

He said the Moores are “still obviously a little shell-shocked” but wanted to thank the New York City police lieutenant who stayed with them until the bodies were found.

“That spirit and sense of togetherness and looking out for one another, that's what's going to carry us through this tragedy,” Obama said.

Before arriving on Staten Island, his helicopter flew over Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, including the waterfront community of Breezy Point, where about 100 homes burned to the ground in a huge wind-swept fire.

On Staten Island, the president met with residents at an emergency-response center at New Dorp High School, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration, IRS, Red Cross and city agencies have set up tents to help survivors. The White House said that as of Monday, about 1,500 people had received services at the center, one of several in affected areas.

People sought refuge from the cold on “warming buses,” and the New York Fire Department provided hot showers. Insurance companies, including Travelers and Allstate, had buses where people went to file claims.

Obama hugged one woman at the business tent, asking where she is staying and if her loved ones are safe. He visited a tent where food and toiletries are being distributed, and thanked the workers and volunteers. Several hundred people gathered nearby to see the president and shouted: “We love you!”

One girl collecting supplies who said her house is unlivable said: “We need help. He should have been here a long time ago.”

Her sentiment was shared by others, including Anthony Gatti, who said his home near the ocean was wrecked by Sandy.

“I think he should've been here a few days ago to see how much devastation we've had here,” said Gatti, who wants a FEMA trailer to live in with his parents while they find a new home.

They lost everything they owned in the storm, he said.

Gatti said he has been standing in line all day — every day —waiting to speak with FEMA officials.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is requesting $30 billion in federal aid to rebuild.

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