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Obama tours flooded, storm-hit New Jersey

NEW YORK : President Barack Obama on Sunday toured the flood-battered state of New Jersey to survey damage from Hurrican

Published September 5, 2011 Updated September 5, 2011 06:46am

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By Shoaib Ur Rehman

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The president was taken on an aerial tour of the damage wrought by Irene,which flooded town centers, blocked roads and forced thousands of people from their homes.

Obama last week declared a "major" disaster area in the northeastern state, making federal funds available to those affected by the hurricane and floods, including providing temporary housing and home repairs and loans to cover property losses.

He arrived a little after noon (1600 GMT) at Newark Liberty International Airport, and was met by New Jersey's Republican governor Chris Christie, and the state's two Democratic US senators, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez.

En route to New Jersey, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that Obama "looks forward to hearing from the federal response team and local officials."

Obama was due to travel to Paterson, northeastern New Jersey, which has seen the Passaic River rise to record levels.

The Passaic River in particular experienced devastating floods after more than eight inches (20 centimeters) of rain fell during the storm.

Irene made landfall last Saturday in North Carolina, with winds upwards of 85 miles (140 kilometers) an hour, careening up the US east coast in a weaker, but still potent state before petering out in Canada.

Carney told reporters accompanying the president that Obama was also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Lee which made landfall in Louisiana early Sunday.

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