Frank Lautenberg: “this amendment would increase funding for disaster relief grants at the Economic Development Administration. We all know…”

“this amendment would increase funding for disaster relief grants at the Economic Development Administration. We all know that this has been a record year for natural disasters. Our country has already experienced a record 10 natural disasters that cost more than $1 billion each time. Hurricane Irene alone caused more than $7 billion in damages on the East Coast. In my home State of New Jersey, 11 people lost their lives as a result of the hurricane. While President Obama came to my hometown of Paterson, NJ, to see the damage firsthand, I must point out that we are still, almost across the country, in the wake of huge storms that demand attention and will require substantial funding. In my hometown of Paterson, NJ, we witnessed unforgettable images. The streets and sidewalks were covered in mud. In some homes, the second floor was also covered with mud. But New Jersey is not alone. As I said, there have been extremely severe storms across the country, and flooding and tornadoes have devastated the Midwest and the South. As a result, FEMA has declared Federal disasters in all but two States this year. In the wake of these disasters, we have seen the American people pulling together, neighbor helping neighbor to put their lives back together; furniture out on the lawn; memorabilia that was so water soaked that it is valueless in terms of recalling memories. It is painful to witness.…”