U.S. Rep Gregory W. Meeks Acknowledges Six Month Anniversary of Super Storm Sandy

April 29, 2013

Much Has Been Accomplished, Much Remains To Be Done

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05) issued the following statement acknowledging the six month anniversary of Super Storm Sandy:

“April 29, marks the six month anniversary of Super Storm Sandy. To say the least, it has been a rough 180 days. The Fifth Congressional District, which includes many of the areas in New York State that were hardest hit by the massive super storm. This includes the entire Rockaway Peninsula, most of the communities in Southern Queens, as well as wide swaths of Southeast Queens and the Nassau County portions of the 5^th Congressional District. Looking back to the first days and weeks following Sandy it is remarkable how far we have come in rebuilding our lives, how resilient hundreds of thousands of my constituents have been, how much city, state, and federal relief agencies have helped us recover, and especially, how much heavy lifting constituents themselves have done.

“Yet, life compels us to look forward. The very nature of recovery and rebuilding compels us to not only review the progress made, but also focus on what remains to be done to make whole the families and communities that endured Sandy’s wrath.

“The biggest decisions that affect individual homeowners as well as whole neighborhoods will be taken in the weeks ahead. These decisions include the redrawing of FEMA flood maps, regulations establishing the minimum height the foundations of homes in flood zones, what compensation will be paid to homeowners who decided not to rebuild, readying the boardwalks for the upcoming summer season, replenishing beaches and sand dunes, building jetties, groins, breakwaters, and other infrastructure, and what the city and state’s portions of the $51 billion federal aid package, which took Congress an unprecedentedly lengthy three months to enact, will be spent on in regard to schools, libraries, health care, recreation, and other public facilities.

“Shortly, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo will announce their respective long term rebuilding and recovery plans, subject to the input and approval of Sean Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, who heads the Super Storm Sandy Rebuilding Task Force set by President Obama. At that point District homeowners, small businesses, civic associations, service providers, developers, churches, temples, mosques, charitable organizations, educational institutions, and elected officials in the affected areas of the Fifth Congressional District will have a clear picture of the overall contours of rebuilding going forward.

“The efforts we have exerted and the progress we have made at the six month mark is a product of families, friends, employers, employees, neighborhoods, and communities working together. The progress we will make over the next six months and for the long term will also rest on our unity of effort and common purpose. ” [End]