U.S. President Barack Obama on the streets of Staten Island gets a first hand look at the damage from superstorm Sandy. With residents still trying to recover some two weeks after the storm hit, Obama pledged to provide help as long as they need it.

SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING:

"So there's a lot of short-term, immediate stuff that has to be dealt with. And we are going to make sure that we stay here as long as people need that immediate help. That's FEMA's primary task. And we'll be coordinating closely with state and local governments to make sure folks are getting the short-term help. But what we've also already heard is that there's going to be some long-term rebuilding that's required."

The death toll from the historic storm now stands at 128 in the United States and Canada.