Irene Aftermath: Obama Visits New Jersey

President pledges aid: "The entire country is behind you.."
Today President Obama traveled to Wayne and Paterson, New Jersey to tour areas damaged by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, which hit the Eastern Seaboard Aug. 26-28. While visiting the Temple Street Bridge in Paterson, which is above the swollen Passaic river, the President gave brief remarks, and reassured all those affected by the massive storm that the federal, state and local governments would be there to help them rebuild.

"The entire country is behind you and we are going to make sure that we provide all the resources that are necessary in order to help these communities rebuild," President Obama said.

The President was accompanied by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R), FEMA director Craig Fugate and other Administration officials as he took a walking tour through neighborhoods in Wayne and Paterson. (Above: Christie is to the President's left as he speaks with citizens of Wayne)

The President reassured citizens that threats of slow funding are false.

"I know that there's been some talk about whether there's going to be a slowdown in getting funding out here, emergency relief. As President of the United States, I want to make it very clear that we are going to meet our federal obligations," President Obama said. "The last thing that the residents here of Paterson or the residents of Vermont or the residents of upstate New York need is Washington politics getting in the way of us making sure that we are doing what we can to help communities that have been badly affected."



Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack toured farms in upstate New York on Saturday and had the same message. Damage there is estimated at $45 million, with 140,000 acres of farmland destroyed.

"Even after the cameras are gone....we're doing the right thing," President Obama said. He declared parts of New Jersey a disaster area earlier this week.

The President left Camp David, where he was spending the Labor Day weekend for the trip to New Jersey, and returned there following his visit. He travels to Detroit, Michigan on Monday for a Labor Day picnic at GM headquarters. (Above, with Christie on the Temple Street bridge in Paterson)

*Top and third photo by Chuck Kennedy/White house; second photo by Pete Souza/White House

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Irene Aftermath: Vilsack Tours New York Farms

140,000 acres of farmland destroyed...
President Obama heads for Paterson, New Jersey on Sunday morning to tour sites impacted by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, his first visit to an area outside of Washington that was battered by the massive weather system that hit the East Coast on Aug. 26-28. Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited upstate New York at the request of Governor Andrew Cuomo to survey damage and ongoing recovery efforts. Vilsack took an aerial tour, and met with farmers and small business owners in Middleburgh, accompanied by Cuomo and Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Cuomo said 140,000 acres of New York farmland have been destroyed, with agricultural losses expected to exceed $45 million. (Above: Cuomo speaks during a stop at Van Aller Farm, in Middleburgh; Vilsack is on the right in yellow, and Gillibrand on the left)

“New York’s agricultural industry is an important part of our state economy and the storm wreaked havoc on farms that many New Yorkers depend on for their livelihood," Cuomo said.

New York has a diverse agriculture economy; among other outputs, it is the second largest apple growing state in the US, the third largest for wine and grape juice, and the fifth largest for "fresh market vegetables." Dairy farming is also an important part of the state's Ag economy. Many farms are still inaccessible by road, according to Cuomo, and power is still out at locations around the state. He announced a $15 million Agriculture and Community Recovery Fund to help farmers rebuild.

"This fund will help New York’s farming community rebuild and recover,” Cuomo said.

Federal resources have also been made available; President Obama has designated twenty New York counties as disaster areas.

The New York funding will come from the Upstate Agricultural Economic Development Capital Fund and the Department of Homes and and Community Renewal’s Community Development Office, according to Cuomo. (Above: Flood damage at Van Aller Farm)

President signs disaster declaration for New York...
President Obama signed a disaster declaration for New York on Aug. 31, which made federal funds available to affected individuals in the counties of Albany, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Ulster. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. It has now been expanded to include twenty counties, with Otsego being the most recent addition.

Congressman Paul Tonko of New York and state Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine also accompanied Vilsack today on the tour.

According to FEMA, federal funding also is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Irene in the counties of Albany, Bronx, Clinton, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Nassau, New York, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Schoharie, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester.

*Photos via Office of Gov. Cuomo

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