Congresswoman Matsui Recognizes One Year Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
CONTACT: JONELLE TRIMMER
(202) 225-7163
Congresswoman Matsui Recognizes One Year Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy
Calls for action to strengthen our communities and address climate change, the root cause of extreme weather events
Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA), a vice-chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, spoke today on the House Floor in recognition of the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. Her remarks, as prepared for delivery, were:
"As a member of SEEC, the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, I rise today to recognize the one year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.
"Today we remember those who lost their lives during this catastrophe, and salute those who continue the rebuilding efforts.
"One year ago, Sandy ravaged the East Coast, producing devastating floods and wide spread power outages, disrupting cellular phone networks and transit systems. As a whole, the region suffered $65 billion dollars in economic losses. Families lost their homes. Communities lost their businesses. And tragically some individuals even lost their lives.
"While the east coast was the primary victim of Sandy, extreme weather knows no boundaries, and other communities around our country are not immune from suffering the same fate.
"Floods, hurricanes, wildfires and droughts are becoming all too common, all too intense, and all too costly. These events will continue to wreak economic havoc and uproot families, unless we take meaningful action to address climate change.
"In California, climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme heat and prolonged drought, placing millions of Californians at greater risk of public health threats such as heat-related sickness and water scarcity.
"Closer to home, my constituents live under the constant threat of flooding, which is why I work relentlessly to strengthen our levees and upgrade our infrastructure. If extreme weather caused a levee to be breached in Sacramento the damage would be similar to that experienced in New Orleans.
"Events like Sandy can happen anywhere. They don't just threaten the coasts, but all communities, in all states. Events like Sandy can happen at any time, and are happening with alarming frequency. This was not an isolated event that happens once every decade.
"We cannot continue to sit back and wait for the next disaster to happen before we take action. The time to act is not a year from now, not a month from now, not even a day from now.
"The time to act is today.
"We must implement preventative measures to make our communities more resilient, and be proactive in addressing climate change, the root cause of extreme weather events.
"Only then will we be able to safeguard the country from the destructive effects of extreme weather, and ensure that the legacy of Sandy is one of action, and not inaction."
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