Paul Tonko: “Thank you, Representative Holt. I will close by just focusing in on this graphic, which showed the enormity, the immense…”

“Thank you, Representative Holt. I will close by just focusing in on this graphic, which showed the enormity, the immense breadth and depth of this Superstorm Sandy. Many didn't relate that storm to a huge tide coming in. For any of us who have jumped into the ocean, we know the power of a tide. But to have the highest storm surge ever measured recorded at Kings Point, New York, the highest ever recorded at 14.38 feet, tells a story. The fact that the water level at Battery Park in Lower Manhattan reached 9.1 feet above the average high tide line. Think of it--1 inch, 2 inches, a foot of water additional that comes into a flood zone calculates that much more damage. Here, what we had with the situation were records beyond 9 feet, approaching 10 feet, a storm surge of 14.38 feet. We are talking monumental damage. We are talking about a force that swept away lives, a force that sparked fires in neighborhoods, a force that wiped out businesses and found neighborhoods still vacant, a silence that has befallen these given communities because of the ravages of Mother Nature that can be prevented if we put our minds and hearts and efforts into that concept of being better stewards of the environment. This is a place where a plan of action can take hold. In these Halls of government, leadership is called upon.…”