CONGRESSMAN GREGORY W. MEEKS STATEMEMENT ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF SUPERSTORM SANDY

CONGRESSMAN GREGORY W. MEEKS STATEMEMENT
ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF SUPERSTORM SANDY

It is hard to believe that five years have passed since Superstorm Sandy swept ashore, pummeling New York City with twelve-foot-high waves and winds exceeding one-hundred miles an hour. Sandy wreaked indiscriminate havoc on the Rockaway Peninsula, Broad Channel, and coastline communities of Nassau County. Jamaica Bay overflowed, forcing residents on the Rockaway Peninsula to flee their homes. Despite valiant efforts by first responders, we lost several community members to the storm. Thousands of homes and businesses were severely damaged or destroyed.

In the midst and wake of this darkness, the best in New Yorkers came to light, and offered a beacon of hope. The east, west, and bay sides of the Rockaways came together, and remain united today. People came out to line and restore the shores. Teenagers worked to rebuild the parks in which they had spent their afternoons. Small businesses offered unprecedented assistance to customers. The pride we felt in our great city was on full display. Strength, resilience, and courage were in plain view, too. It was truly remarkable and it still inspires me to this day.

New Yorkers weren't the only ones who rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Support came in all forms from all corners of the country. Other elected officials and I urged President Barack Obama to dispatch essential military resources, which he did in short order. President Obama not only called me frequently, but also toured the city to survey the destruction Sandy had wrought. Unfortunately, securing funding from the federal government was a bipartisan fight until the very end. Like my constituents, I worked tirelessly and our efforts proved successful—we secured a desperately needed $60 billion federal aid package. When New Yorkers were in need of help, their government delivered.

Although five years have passed, our infrastructure still needs improvement. We must continue to fortify and build up our resilience in New York and elsewhere as Sandy and subsequent storms have proven that the nation must be prepared to face the challenges of an era in which climate change has made natural disasters even more catastrophic. As these catastrophic episodes continue, I take solace in the fact that the American people will be there to support one another at a moment's notice; I have seen it first-hand.