President Barack Obama has vowed to stick with the residents in the neighborhoods in New York worst hit by Hurricane Sandy“until the rebuilding is complete."
The President said he had made a commitment and promised to follow through on it. He said “I’ve come back today but I’ll also be coming back in the future to make sure we’re following through.”
Eighteen days agoHurricane Sandy hit New York, causing severe damage to coastal neighborhoods in Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn.
On Thursday President Obama visited some of those worst affected – those still without housing, heat, and electricity. Obama took note of the damage caused to the areas and was on hand to meett with and hug some of those who are suffering the effects.
He said “We're reminded that we are bound together and we have to look out for each other.”
Speaking from a block in Staten Island that was demolished he said that when it comes to helping people recover from something like Hurricane Sandy “the petty differences melt away.”
Read more news on Hurricane Sandy here
He said, “Across the board what we have seen is a spirit of service and cooperation. For those first responders working here the police officers, the firefights, the EMS folks, the sanitation workers, who sometimes don’t get credit, but have done heroic work. We are so grateful to you because you exemplify what America’s all about.”
The Associated Press reports that Obama met with Glenda and Damien Moore in private during his visit. On the night of the Hurricane, Glenda had been trying to evacuate with her sons Connor, aged 4, and Brandon, aged 2. As the water rose and she scrambled for aid from residents, which she was denied, her young boys slipped from her grasp and died.
A Staten Island resident, Anthony Gatti, said he has been waiting everyday in the hope of speaking with a FEMA official. He said it would be “a great thing” if Obama could speed up the actions of the federal government.
He also said thatObama should have visited sooner. He said, “I think he should've been here a few days ago to see how much devastation we've had here."
On Staten Island, Obama visited New Drop High School, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration, IRS, Red Cross and city agencies have tents to help survivors. The White House said about 1,500 people had received services at the center, one of several in affected areas.
As the Presidentvisited the facility hundreds of people gathered to see him, shouting, “We love you!”
Before he arrived on Staten Island the president took a helicopter tour of the area above Breezy Point and the Rockaways, in Queens, where hundreds remain homeless.
Jay Carney, the White House spokesman who traveled with Obamain Air Force One, said, “The storm passes and sometimes attention turns elsewhere. But the fact is there's a lot of work that still needs to be done."
Read more news on Hurricane Sandy here
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