Obama tours New York's island of 'heartbreak' As President Obama visits storm-ravaged areas of New York Thursday, he is touring areas still littered with the rubble of shattered lives and homes. While many in the region have moved on since the storm swept through the area, killing more than a 100 people and leaving millions without power, much work remains: thousands are still without power, tens of thousands are homeless, and many more are trying to pick up the pieces. "Heartbreak, absolute heartbreak," said Diane Rivera, a resident of Staten Island. We had a nice house and family here and we were happy here and it's gone. It's our whole life we put on the curb for the trash. Tattered shells are all that remain of many homes in Staten Island's lower-lying neighborhoods. Boats pushed to the middle of the street still pockmark shore roads. And mounds of debris, from soggy drywall to treasured keepsakes, are common in front yards. Rebuilding lives after Sandy, one photo at a time While in the region, Obama is meeting with affected families, local officials and first responders who have been dealing with Sandy's destruction. His visit includes an aerial tour, during which he will be joined by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. Obama is also visiting a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery center and taking a walking tour of a neighborhood affected by the storm. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both New York Democrats, are traveling with the president aboard Air Force One. President Barack Obama gets a hug from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo upon his arrival in New York City to view recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy on Nov. 15. This is not Obama's first visit to the region since Sandy struck. The president traveled to New Jersey on Oct. 31 to meet with Gov. Chris Christie and view recovery efforts in coastal communities. NBC News' Jay Gray and The Associated Press contributed to this report.