On the recordNovember 2, 2011
some of the worst damage caused by disasters around the country has been to the houses, mobile homes and apartments where families have built their lives and made their homes. In Vermont, entire mobile home developments were washed away in Hurricane Irene's fury. Where homes once stood, now lies a path of damage, destruction and heartbreak. Our small State's ability to build new homes depends greatly on support from Federal safety net programs, like the $400 million in emergency community development block grant funding that we have worked to include in this bill. While this emergency funding is a first step in addressing the urgent housing needs of States like Vermont that have been struck by natural disasters, we know that much more will be needed to help our decimated towns and communities, and their citizens, get back on their feet. I look forward to working with the chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee to ensure that homeowners, businesses and towns have the assistance they need to begin the long rebuilding process. I have not seen damage and destruction of this magnitude in Vermont in my lifetime. Vermont and other states that were hit by Irene are stretched to the limit right now, and just as the victims of past disasters throughout the country were able to rely on their fellow Americans' help in their time of need, so should Vermonters be able to count on a helping hand when they need it most.
