'You guys hang in there': Obama visits New Jersey to see Hurricane Irene damage as Republican governor praises response to Irene



President Barack Obama today pledged to do everything possible to help flood-stricken New Jersey and other states recover as he got a first-hand look at some of the damage from Hurricane Irene.



With rain-swollen rivers receding in the Northeast after the region suffered its worst flooding in decades, Mr Obama got a first-hand look at the disaster response in the city of Paterson, one of hardest-hit from the storm.



The Democratic President was joined by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a budget-cutting Republican who has bucked some of his party's fiscal hawks in Washington by calling for expedited federal aid to help his state's recovery. Governor Christie has also praised Mr Obama's response to Irene.

Warm wlecome: U.S. President Barack Obama gets a hug from a boy upon his arrival in Newark, New Jersey today

'When disaster strikes, Americans suffer, not Democrats, not independents, not Republicans,' White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One.

'Americans suffer, and then we come together and put politics aside to make sure that those Americans get the assistance that they need.'

'HELP US' said a large hand-lettered sign held aloft by a group of children as Mr Obama's motorcade sped past. On the route to Paterson, soggy furniture and possessions were heaped in piles along the street while water was still being pumped out of some homes.



At his first stop in a poor neighbourhood in the town of Wayne, Mr Obama paused to console homeowners, telling them the federal government would do everything possible to assist.



'I know it's a hard time right now,' Mr Obama told a group of residents clustered around him on the street. 'You guys hang in there. We'll do everything we can to help you.'

Mr Obama said that whatever the natural disaster was or wherever it struck, Americans 'come together as one country to make sure residents get the help they need.'

He added: 'The last thing they need is Washington politics getting in the way. We will make sure that even after the cameras are gone the clean-up continues.'



Mind your step: The President straddles a puddle as he today walks with Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano (fourth left) touring the devastation left by Hurricane Irene in Wayne, New Jersey

Wrecked: Mr Obama today greets a resident of Wayne as she stands by a pile of items damaged by Irene

Words of praise: Mr Obama has dealt well with the natural disaster according to Republican Governer Christie

Irene cut a swathe of destruction from North Carolina to Vermont and was blamed for at least 40 deaths. Total economic losses have been estimated at more than $10billion.

New Jersey was especially hammered by flooding in the storm's wake last week. The floodwaters swept away homes, swamped roads and bridges and left hundreds of thousands without electricity.



Paterson now faces a massive clean-up after the Passaic River overflowed its banks in the centre of the city of 150,000, dealing the latest blow to a one-time industrial powerhouse that has since fallen on hard times.

The President chose Paterson for his tour because 'this was a place he can visit that had particularly severe impacts,' Mr Carney said.

Joining Mr Obama were Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and members of the state's congressional delegation.

Mr Obama officially declared New Jersey a disaster area on Wednesday, making the state eligible for federal disaster aid.



Hope: Mr Obama hugs a woman as he tours damage caused by the rain-swollen Passaic River in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in Wayne, New Jersey today

Reaching out: The young child who received a hug from the President stretches out to touch him

He is expected to ask Congress for extra funds to help recover from Irene, but Washington's unrelenting budget battle - and a deepening ideological divide between Republicans and Democrats over the role of government - could complicate relief efforts.



Eric Cantor, the No.2 Republican in the House of Representatives said last week that any new disaster aid must be offset with spending cuts elsewhere to avoid adding to the budget deficit, projected to hit $1.3trillion this year.



But Mr Christie, a rising Republican star and blunt-talking fiscal conservative who has repeatedly denied any interest in seeking his party's 2012 presidential nomination, has called for immediate assistance for his state.



He has insisted that New Jersey cannot wait while lawmakers in Washington fight over budget offsets.



That makes Mr Christie an unlikely ally for Mr Obama, who is seeking re-election next year, in the debate over storm relief. The two men shook hands warmly at the bottom of Air Force One's staircase and then boarded a presidential helicopter for an aerial tour of the storm damage.



The Obama administration opposes Mr Cantor's position, and Democrats who oversee disaster funding in the Senate said they would refuse to cut other programmes to boost emergency aid.



This comes as lawmakers debate further budget reductions after months of bitter feuding over the country's debt pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown in April and to the edge of a first-ever national default in August.



Pleased to meet the Pres: Mr Obama greets well wishers as he arrives in Newark, New Jersey, on his way to Paterson

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has suspended funding for some rebuilding programs from earlier disasters to ensure that its disaster-relief fund will not run out of money, agency administrator Craig Fugate has said.



Mr Cantor and other Republicans have made spending cuts a top priority since taking control of the House in November and have sought to challenge Mr Obama and his Democrats on fiscal matters.



The White House has worked to show it has learned the lessons of the government's bungled handling of Katrina under the administration of former President George W. Bush. Aides have portrayed Mr Obama as deeply engaged in the Irene response.



The trip was Mr Obama's first since October to New Jersey, a state he won handily in the 2008 election and hopes to keep in his camp for 2012 re-election bid.



But even as Mr Obama visited New Jersey, his administration's emergency planners were keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Lee, threatening New Orleans and other parts of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast with heavy rains, high tides and flooding.