John Kerry: “today I joined Senator Kennedy, Representative Frank, Governor Romney and Mayor Robert Nunes on a tour of the…”

“today I joined Senator Kennedy, Representative Frank, Governor Romney and Mayor Robert Nunes on a tour of the deteriorating dam in Taunton, MA. The dam buckled earlier this week under the pressure of heavy rain. Since the beginning of this month, Taunton has received 11\1/2\ inches of rain, with more than 7 inches of that from Friday through Sunday. As of this morning, the city remained under a state of emergency and there was still a significant amount of water behind the Whittenton Pond Dam on the Mill River. In speaking with local officials, they expressed fear that a major break in the dam could send 6 feet of water surging through downtown Taunton, flooding businesses and destroying homes. For now, the situation is under control but still extremely volatile. It appears we may have gotten lucky--but just because the waters are receding doesn't mean our work is through. Doing everything possible means the Federal Government has to give mayors and governors every tool they need to protect their communities. Today, the Army Corps of Engineers can help in Taunton only because it's an emergency--and everyone who has been praying that the dam doesn't break knows just what an emergency this has been. But according to the law, it's only at that point of no return that the Corps can step in. The Army Corps of Engineers has no authority to try to prevent a situation like this.…”