Lucas Jackson / Reuters

Lucas Jackson / Reuters

Locally hired contractors work to clean sand, deposited by the storm surge of Superstorm Sandy, out of a pool in the Rockaways section of Queens, New York City on Nov. 27.

Reuters reports, New York state and New Jersey need at least $71.3 billion to recover from the devastation wrought by superstorm Sandy and prevent similar damage from future storms, according to their latest estimates.

• New York to hire 5,000 temp workers for Sandy cleanup
• New York, New Jersey put $71 billion price tag on Sandy
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Slideshow: Recovering after Sandy

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Residents of the Northeast are still picking up the pieces after Superstorm Sandy.

Launch slideshow