[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16359-16360]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HURRICANE SANDY 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Matsui) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, as a member of SEEC, the House Sustainable 
Energy and Environment Coalition, I rise today to recognize the 1-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 widespread power outages, disrupting cellular phone networks 
and transit systems. As a whole, the region suffered over $65 billion 
in economic losses. Families lost their homes, their precious mementos, 
and reminders of their daily lives. Communities lost their businesses. 
Tragically, some individuals lost their lives.
  While the east coast was the primary victim of Sandy, extreme weather 
knows no boundaries and other communities around the 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.

[[Page 16360]]

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, forest 
fires, and water scarcity.
  At 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.
  Mr. Speaker, 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 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 despair and 
procrastination.

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