Sandy cut into metro-area factory output

Manufacturers in Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens reported severe business disruptions in the state due to superstorm Sandy, according to the Empire State Manufacturing Survey, a monthly report of state manufacturers released Thursday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The downstate disruptions were the most in the state.

The survey typically tracks manufacturing activity in New York, but it also asks a series of supplementary questions every month. The November supplement asked manufacturers about how businesses were affected by Sandy.

All manufacturers surveyed in the downstate area -- which includes Long Island, New York City and the lower Hudson Valley -- reported a reduction in business because of Sandy. That compares to 21 percent of upstate manufacturers that said their business was affected.

The majority of manufacturers in the downstate area pointed to loss of power and communications as the main contributor to the reduction in business activity.

The survey also reported that state manufacturing activity continued to contract in November, although at a slower pace compared to October.

The general business conditions index was minus 5.22, about a point higher than October's reading of minus 6.16. This is the fourth consecutive month that the business conditions index has been negative. A reading below zero indicates that manufacturing activity is in decline.