Bill Nelson: “this is an amendment to the Homeland Security bill to provide $70 million to the American Red Cross for the purposes of…”

“this is an amendment to the Homeland Security bill to provide $70 million to the American Red Cross for the purposes of their relief efforts as a result of Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley, which hit us 4 weeks ago, and Hurricane Frances, which hit us this past week. The American Red Cross is out of money. Their coffers have run dry. They have people all over Florida right now. In order to pay expenses, in doing what the American Red Cross does so well, they have had to go out and borrow $10 million. I just got off of the phone with the national president of the American Red Cross. I want to show you what else is lurking out there. I did not have time to blow this illustration up for everybody, but this is the third hurricane, in the last 5 weeks, that is headed to Florida. This hurricane, at 11 o'clock this morning, was down here in relation to the southeast of Jamaica. Its track will take it right over Jamaica and across western Cuba, on a track that is eerily reminiscent of Hurricane Charley which hit us 4 weeks ago, and going right out into the warm waters of the Straits of Florida, across the Keys. On the track that is showing the center line, it would take it right to the southwest coast of Florida. Now, you can imagine a hurricane of this magnitude. It has 160-mile-per-hour sustained winds, with gusts to 190 miles per hour. It came across Grenada, and 90 percent of all the homes in Grenada are destroyed.”