Rick Karlin reports at Capitol Confidential on New York's $42 billion request to the federal government for storm recovery. In a briefing, Mon., Nov. 26, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called Superstorm Sandy more financially impactful than Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005. While acknowleding Katrina's higher death toll, Cuomo said the the property and business damage sustained in Sandy was far greater. In Manhattan alone, 22 million square feet of business property was destroyed, leading to 46,000 new unemployment claims. The Governor stressed that paying for the storm recovery with new or higher taxes won’t work, as that would incapacitate the state. Cuomo said he will do whatever is necessary to convince the U.S. House of Representatives to approve the state's request. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.