U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday toured some of New York's hardest-hit areas from super storm Sandy and appointed an official to coordinate rebuilding efforts.

Obama arrived on Staten Island via helicopter just before noon, and took an aerial tour of parts of Queens and Brooklyn, which saw particularly heavy flooding during Sandy. This was his second trip to the affected region since Hurricane Sandy made landfall on Oct. 29.

The president met with families on Staten Island on the southern tip of New York city, and thanked local officials and first responders for their work.

"Across the board what we've seen is cooperation," Obama said after surveying the damaged areas. "There's still a lot of clean- up to do" and people still need heat, shelter and food, and it will be a long-term rebuilding effort.

Obama promised he is going to work with officials in New York and New Jersey to help getting enough resources to rebuild.

He announced that he has appointed a New Yorker, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, the "point person" to make sure there's a "strong, effective" plan to rebuild, adding that insurance companies need to show some "heart" and spirit too in dealing with people affected.

Obama said he'll be coming back to New York in the future to make sure everything has been done to help residents displaced by Sandy.

The president was joined by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

At least 22 people died in Staten Island, a Republican-leaning enclave that nonetheless voted for Obama 50 percent to 49 percent over challenger Mitt Romney in the Nov. 6 re-election.

Cuomo estimated the storm caused 50 billion U.S. dollars in damage and economic losses, more than 30 billion dollars were incurred in New York state alone.

Federal Emergency Management Agency is due to reimburse some victims and local governments for damage but has only about 8.1 billion dollars available, meaning Congress may have to appropriate more money.