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Gov. Chris Christie is defending local tax increases and major federal investments, despite his tough talk on spending. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is courting the spotlight as he calls for billions of dollars from Washington to rebuild. The Republican and Democrat will have to find consensus on the plan for rebuilding — together and with a divided Congress.

In New York City, Thanksgiving has been mass-produced in shelters, churches and community centers. But many of the storm victims are sharing their holiday meal with people who are hungry year-round.

The storm cost some people their jobs and forced many to delay filing their claims. The effects will likely continue to be felt for some time.

Nearly 10,000 trees in New York City — many healthy and hefty — were lost to the winds of Superstorm Sandy. Natural scenery aside, they affect the environmental quality of the city.

In New York, the city is expected to begin demolishing some of the houses damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Inspectors have fanned out across the affected boroughs to determine which houses are safe to return to and which aren't. Some of the most-damaged neighborhoods are on the east side of Staten Island — next to New York Bay.

Among the places hardest hit when Sandy made landfall last month was the small, working class community of Union Beach, N.J., just across the Raritan Bay from New York City. The powerful storm surge flooded much of the town, gutting buildings along the waterfront and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses.

More than two weeks after Sandy devastated lives across New York and New Jersey, one strange reminder of the storm has come to light: a mass of dead fish near commuter rail train tracks in New Jersey's Meadowlands.

The damage from Sandy has cities across the country looking at their own disaster plans. Eight California state, city and county-level emergency managers deployed to help the recovery. They came back thinking about the basic logistical problems of hosting mutual aid officials from other parts of the country.

Unaffiliated with larger organizations, volunteers are taking charge in areas badly hit by Superstorm Sandy. The operations are backed by the kindness of strangers, some of whom have traveled from other states to help. They say they have come to do "everything you would want your neighbors to do for you."

Residents of Seaside Heights, N.J., are coming home to survey the damage from Hurricane Sandy and make decisions about what to do next. The decision to rebuild isn't always straightforward. For many, it's as much emotional as it is financial.