WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid remained elevated for a second straight week because Superstorm Sandy forced many people to seek temporary benefits.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that first-time applications for benefits fell by 41,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 410,000. That offset only part of the previous week's surge.

Two weeks ago, the storm drove applications up by 90,000 to 451,000, an 18-month high. Nearly 44,000 people in New York and 31,000 in New Jersey applied for benefits that week, according to the latest state data available. People in Pennsylvania and Connecticut also sought benefits because of the storm.

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