NEW YORK (AP):

Three months after Superstorm Sandy, thousands of victims in New York and New Jersey are stuck in limbo.

Some are waiting for the heat to come back on or for insurance money to come through. Others are waiting for loans to be approved.

While Congress passed a $50.5 billion emergency aid package on Monday, many say the rebuilding process has been complicated over the past several weeks by bureaucracy.

Some people are still living in mold-infested homes. Others are trying to persuade the city to tear theirs down. Small businesses are shutting down in neighborhoods where nobody seems to shop anymore.

Federal officials say they understand the frustration and are working as quickly as possible to compensate people for their losses and rebuild.