"I think the most important thing that FEMA has already done is to have people in the emergency operation centers, and the prestaged equipment, and following whatever resources the states are going to need to start the process of recovery," Witt told CNN 's "Starting Point."

Sandy hit the New Jersey coastline Monday night with 80 mph winds at its center, but it spread destruction across a broad swath of the eastern United States.

The storm smashed beach resorts on the Jersey Shore and flooded Manhattan subway tunnels, felled trees as far south as North Carolina, dumped heavy snow on the highlands of West Virginia and sent debris flying through the streets of Toronto.