Jerry Lewis: “I certainly hope the people of California appreciate the work and the leadership of Julian Dixon on this matter. He has…”

“I certainly hope the people of California appreciate the work and the leadership of Julian Dixon on this matter. He has been extremely helpful as we have tried to expedite this process. The disaster that faces the people of California is only a reflection of the kinds of disasters we have experienced across the country. One of the great things about serving in this body is that we respond to the needs of our people regardless of where they might live. I'm grateful that Chairman Natcher and the others in this body have recognized that the damage estimates continue to roll in. Your flexibility in revising the package to reflect that should not go unappreciated. I too want to express my great appreciation for the cooperation and response of government agencies at all levels. The city of Los Angeles and the mayor have done a fantastic job in cooperating with the State and Federal agencies, and the State in turn has been on top of this from the very moment we knew of the disaster. No one that I have heard in any responsible forum has done anything but give great praise to FEMA for their immediate response. There have been 194,765 SBA loan applications that have been completed. There are 91,000 disaster housing applications that have been filed. As of Monday there were some 232,051 individuals registering in person or by phone at disaster assistance centers.”