Political Quotes

“I rise in strong support of H.R. 3759, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Assistance, which include $7.77 billion for disaster relief and $1.1 billion in additional Small Business Administration [SBA] disaster loans for the victims of the Los Angeles/Northridge earthquake. The Los Angeles/Northridge earthquake is the costliest natural disaster in our Nation's history. As we consider this important legislation, we still do not know what the full extent of the damage and cost of the disaster will be. The ongoing aftershocks, some of them significant earthquakes in their own right, are continuing to add to the list of injuries and property damage. We have an obligation to help the victims of this earthquake without delay; 57 people have been killed and more than 6,500 people have been injured, 55,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and 21,000 structures have been declared uninhabitable, 230,000 people have applied for disaster assistance. Jobs have been lost; hospitals, schools, and businesses have been closed; major thoroughfares have collapsed; and any regained sense of personal security is under attack with each new aftershock. In my own district, residential and commercial areas have been devastated. Many owners and tenants have no insurance to cover their losses. St. John's Hospital, which is an important health facility worth approximately $25 million, has been condemned and closed.”