Political Quotes

“While we have all seen the pictures of the physical destruction, it is also important to highlight the impervious human spirit. Hours after the earthquake, waves of volunteers poured out to assist in emergency disaster relief. In the early hours of the disaster, we saw the greatest need for help. And the best possible response. As daylight broke and people began to uncover the massive destruction, thousands rushed to local hospitals, police stations, and Red Cross shelters to help those injured and left homeless, leaving their own families, to help where it was needed. As I toured the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Santa Clarita, I saw physicians, like Dr. Darrell Carpenter, who had been on call for 30 hours straight working in an overwhelmed emergency room. And I was told of two young 15-year-old girls who rushed to the hospital in the early hours of the earthquake to volunteer their time. They were immediately pressed into service and cleared a darkened basement filled with old medical records and equipment to make room for emergency medical supplies. The morning after the earthquake, I visited Jim Menzi, a burn victim, who refused to go to the hospital to treat his injuries until he could help his neighbors.”