| Joseph Byrne Tuesday, January 29, 2013 |
It is only three months since Hurricane Sandy came upon the shores of Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other states and communities. Since that time there have been countless numbers of volunteers, charities, and other organizations that have stepped into the fray to lend a helping hand to families and businesses who have suffered loss and damage. Now, finally, the government is starting to do something. The US Senate moved Monday toward passing a $50.5 billion emergency package of relief and recovery aid after House Republicans stripped it of spending unrelated to disasters.
Despite opposition from conservatives concerned about adding billions of dollars more to the nation’s debt, Northeast lawmakers were optimistic about having the 60 votes needed to win Senate approval and send the long-delayed package to President Barack Obama, who has said he would sign it. The House passed the bill two weeks ago.
The urgency of the situation on Long Island, and other communities along the Eastern seaboard, can not be understated. After three months of living in damaged homes, destroyed businesses, and seemingly never ending clean up, residents are trying to persevere, but they need help in order to do so.
While many of the funds will go to government agencies, the biggest chunk of money is $16 billion for Housing and Urban Development Department community development block grants. Of that, about $12 billion will be shared among Sandy victims as well as those from other federally declared disasters in 2011-2013. The remaining $3.9 billion is solely for Sandy-related projects.
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were damaged during the storm in all of the states invovled. Out of that number, there are several thousand that were completely destryed. That means lives have been forever changed through one weather event. It is prudent that legislators and business leaders take a much more focused approach to helping each one of the victims.
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