President Obama made an unscheduled trip to the headquarters of the American Red Cross this afternoon to address recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Sandy, after the storm battered the East Coast yesterday. With remnants of the storm still churning north toward Canada, Obama remarked on efforts so far by the federal and local governments.

“We’re going to continue to push as hard as we can,” Obama said. The president said he urged governors and mayors of affected areas to ensure there is “no bureaucracy, no red tape” as the Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinates with local officials in dealing with the aftermath of the storm.

But Obama cautioned that the last bits of what some forecasters dubbed a “Frankenstorm” are still working through the Midwest and Canada. “This storm is not yet over,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Obama joined a conference call with 20 mayors and governors of areas hit by Hurricane Sandy. “I see there’s a mess out there, but all of my people are at work,” Obama said, as recalled by D.C. Mayor Vince Gray at a press conference addressing the District’s recovery from Sandy.

New Jersey and New York City were the hardest-hit areas yesterday, with many coastal communities in the Garden State torn apart by brutal winds and deluged under several feet of water. New York is reeling with flooding across Manhattan and Brooklyn and in many of the city’s road and rail tunnels, along with a devastating fire that consumed at least 80 homes in a Queens neighborhood after a house fire was accelerated by hurricane-strength gusts.

Obama’s re-election campaign canceled more events today and Wednesday. Instead, the president will travel to New Jersey tomorrow and survey hurricane-damage communities with Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican and prominent surrogate for Mitt Romney.

Earlier today, Christie praised the White House’s response to the Sandy’s impact on his state. “The president has been all over this and he deserves great credit,” Christie said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

“I told the mayors and governors if they’re getting no for an answer somewhere in the federal government, they can call me personally at the White House,” Obama said in his remarks at the Red Cross.

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