Julian Dixon: “I rise to urge my colleagues to support the swift passage of H.R. 3759. I witnessed first hand the devastation that the…”

“I rise to urge my colleagues to support the swift passage of H.R. 3759. I witnessed first hand the devastation that the Northridge earthquake had on Los Angeles County. I can report that the pictures many of you saw on television do not begin to do justice to the physical damage done to homes, businesses, and the infrastructure of our communities. Over 60 people are dead; 21,000 homes and apartments are uninhabitable, and 55,000 other residential structures have been damaged. Nearly 230,000 people have applied for disaster assistance--31 emergency shelters remain in operation. I want to express my thanks to President Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the many members of the Cabinet--Secretary Cisneros, Secretary Pena, Secretary Ron Brown, Secretary Jesse Brown, Secretary Shalala, and OMB Director Panetta--for coming to Los Angeles, for their expressions of support, and for their leadership in relief efforts. I also want to thank FEMA Director James Lee Witt and his Agency for their quick response and their continuing actions to assist the victims of this disaster. Thousands of individuals and families must now begin to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the earthquake.”