On the recordNovember 14, 2012
On October 29, Hurricane Sandy--a 1,000- mile-wide storm--struck the northeastern portion of America, including the State of Connecticut. Ninety-mile-an-hour winds arrived at 9 o'clock that night, coinciding with high tide, flooding communities from Stonington all the way to Madison in eastern Connecticut, knocking out power, destroying property--leaving a wake of destruction in its path. First responders from Stonington--like George Brennan, the fire chief in New London; like Ron Samuel, the fire marshal in Madison, Connecticut; like Sam DeBurra, and many, many others--rose to the challenge to save lives and to protect human life from one end to the other. There were first selectman and mayors--like Paul Formica from the town of East Lyme, where a regional emergency shelter was put into operation--who worked to restore power. Again, teamwork. The volunteers at the Red Cross and the Salvation Army came together and had one mission, which was to save lives and restore the region. We need to follow that example here in Congress as we face the challenges that confront this Nation over the next 7 weeks. Thank you to all of those leaders who again rose to the challenge of a historic storm--bigger than in 1938. Let's follow their example to advance the interests of our Nation. ____________________
