NYS Senator Addabbo’s Statement on U.s. Senate Approval of Hurricane Sandy Relief

Queens, NY, January 29, 2013 -- NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens), today released the following statement regarding action taken on January 28 by the United States Senate to give final approval to an emergency Hurricane Sandy relief package totaling almost $51 billion: 

 As the State Senate representative of an area particularly hard hit by Hurricane Sandy, I am deeply gratified that our partners in the United States Senate have taken this step to provide desperately needed aid to storm victims and their communities at large.  

 Following earlier approval by the United States House of Representatives, this affirmative vote by the Senate opens the door to allow needed resources to begin flowing to the people and areas who need assistance in rebuilding their lives in the wake of this devastating storm.  We need to provide direct aid to those who lost their homes, find ways to rebuild our communities, assist our businesses, rebuild our religious sites, bolster our infrastructure to make it more resilient to future catastrophic storms and other natural disasters, and otherwise help our state and its families to recover from the devastation we have suffered.   

 As a member of the NYS Senate Bipartisan Task Force on Hurricane Sandy, I know that this package of close to $51 billion in Hurricane Sandy relief aid, combined with the $10 billion previously approved for New York and other northeastern states battered by the storm, will take us a long way toward recovery. I would like to especially thank United States Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and our city congressional delegation, for their advocacy on behalf of their constituents in New York State. 

After signage by the President, the real work will begin in determining how to allocate the funds in a quick, credible and helpful manner. I look forward to being part of the process that has the potential of getting people, businesses and community sites back on their feet.  

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