Mayor Bloomberg’s office this morning announced the city has estimated the combined public/private losses of to be $19 billion, and after subtracting private insurance of $3.8 billion and FEMA reimbursement of $5.4 billion, is eeking $9.8 billion worth of federal disaster aid to cover the remainder of the cost.

Bloomberg outlined his request in a letter to New York congressional delegation members, which was released to the media by his office.

“Four weeks ago, as Sandy was approaching our shores, President Obama committed federal resources to this storm and its recover,” the mayor wrote.

“Since then we have worked closely with his Administration on everything from cleanup to temporary housing. With our combined efforts, I am confident that we can secure the funding needed to ensure the swiftest and smartest recovery for New York City. Thank you for your leadership on this issue.”

The release of Bloomberg’s aid ask comes as he is meeting with members of the New York congressional delegation and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has pegged the entire state recovery cost at at least $30 billion, to discuss the ongoing post-storm response.

Cuomo’s decision to go public with his $30 billion figure without first giving anyone a heads-up reportedly did not sit well with New York’s House members and two US senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, who have made their own request for $1 billion worth of aid.

Gillibrand and Schumer were scheduled to attend the meeting with Cuomo, which was called by the governor and started at about 11:30 a.m.

When Obama made his pre-Thanksgiving visit to New York to tour Sandy damage, he rode in a helicopter with both Cuomo and Bloomberg and reportedly advised the duo to think regionally when seeking federal disaster aid in order to maximize their chances of getting a green light from the divided Congress.

443-12 (Federal Hurricane Aid Request)

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