[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 14, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7792-H7793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE IDA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Bowman) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOWMAN. Madam Speaker, 1 year ago, the remnants of Hurricane Ida 
came through my district, resulting in catastrophic damage to our New 
York-16 community. This hurricane originated in the Gulf Coast and 
arrived in New York several days later, still so strong and dangerous 
that it led to the tragic death of several neighbors.
  Among those killed were Fran and Ken Bailie, who were professors at 
Iona College. I stand here today in their memory, and in community with 
families, friends, and neighbors who lost loved ones.
  Hurricane Ida brought historic levels of flooding to New York-16. The 
evening the storm hit was scary and chaotic. We were not collectively 
prepared for the amount of rain we received, and people watched with 
shock as their homes and neighborhoods flooded. At times in the night 
we got tornado warnings, followed by flood warnings, and then followed 
by more tornado warnings. This is not an area of the country that is 
used to these sorts of hurricanes, and I remember feeling terrified and 
confused as we all tried to stay safe.
  In the days that followed, instead of a joyful return to New Rochelle 
High School for its students, students found themselves with a 
destroyed, completely destroyed library. Congregants in Bronxville were 
left with a flooded synagogue during Rosh Hashanah. The First Baptist 
Church in Mamaroneck was destroyed, and congregants are still picking 
up the pieces.
  I visited constituents' homes and small businesses in Yonkers, 
Mamaroneck, Mount Vernon, Rye, and Pelham, and the sense of despair was 
palpable. People could not even travel to check in with loved ones 
because the Sawmill, Bronx River Parkway, Hutch, Sprain Brook, and 
Cross County Expressway were deep underwater.
  Our immigrant neighbors in Mamaroneck had to reckon with the damage 
to their community resource center, and the Rye YMCA was left 
completely destroyed.
  For thousands of neighbors, Hurricane Ida fundamentally changed their 
financial well-being and housing stability. The recovery process and 
trauma from that storm continues today.
  In the days following, our community showed an incredible amount of

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resilience. And as I reflect, these moments of hope and solidarity come 
to the forefront of my mind. First responders ensured everyone was 
safe. The Rye soccer team, Mamaroneck volleyball team, and countless 
others took to the streets to support our neighbors.
  Teams like the Mamaroneck Tigers volunteered with the Fuller Center 
for Housing of Greater New York City to help members of the First 
Baptist Church remove pews that mothers would pray on and the hymnal 
books that contained songs of strength and power.
  Organizations like the Red Cross and Feeding Westchester provided 
food to those in need. The incredible mayors, managers, councilmembers, 
trustees, and community leaders in the Bronx, Ardsley, Bronxville, 
Eastchester, Greenburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, 
Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Pelham, Pelham Manor, Rye, Scarsdale, and 
Tuckahoe, mobilized emergency resources to keep people safe.
  We worked alongside County Executive Latimer, Bronx Borough President 
Diaz, Jr., and Governor Hochul to expedite damage assessments. These 
efforts led to President Biden declaring a state of emergency in New 
York and the allocation of much-needed FEMA resources. From there, we 
helped constituents with FEMA applications and hosted multiple visits 
with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to plan long-term recovery.
  Let me be clear: The climate crisis is here, and it is real, and I 
refuse to let my district bear the brunt of inaction. We have worked to 
secure flood mitigation funds, advance flood prevention studies in 
Westchester County, and vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, which 
will help make our communities resilient and kick-start the clean 
energy revolution that we need. But more needs to be done.
  As a father and former educator, I am deeply concerned about the 
impact that increased flooding will have on our children. That is why I 
introduced my Green New Deal for Public Schools to ensure our school 
buildings are resilient and that students can thrive.
  As we mark this anniversary of Hurricane Ida, let's continue to 
recommit to supporting one another, to healing our communities, to 
confronting the climate crisis head on, and to ensuring that no one 
gets left behind.

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