Frank Pallone: “I wanted to point out to my colleagues that the damage in my district and throughout my State in the aftermath of…”

“I wanted to point out to my colleagues that the damage in my district and throughout my State in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy was nothing less than catastrophic. But I really want to talk about the rebuilding effort today and what we need to do over the long term. The amount of outpouring, if you will, from volunteers, from just regular people in the district, was just overwhelming. I want to thank FEMA. I want to thank the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and all the different groups that are out there and continue to be out there today helping with this effort. The outpouring of volunteers from our own district and from New Jersey was just incredible. Just a few days ago, I remember going to Union Beach, which was one of the towns that was hardest hit, and seeing so many people bring in food and clothing and cleaning supplies. One guy who owns a pizza place brought in a pizza oven and was making pizzas, and another guy brought in a TV so people could watch TV at the center where people come to sign up for FEMA. It was just amazing. It showed the spirit, if you will, of the people that they were willing to do that. Thank you all again. Obviously, we're going to work on rebuilding, which is certainly the next step here in Congress and elsewhere. ____________________”