Obama Orders Big Push to Keep Aid Flowing to Sandy-Affected States

 Proclaiming that “This storm is not yet over,” President Obama issued a strong statement from the Red Cross headquarters in Washington Tuesday that the federal government would “push as hard as we can” to ensure that state and local authorities get the help they need to cope with the ravages of Hurricane Sandy, the most devastating weather event to hit the Northeast in decades.

The president, who plans to tour New Jersey Wednesday with Republican Governor Chris Christie, calls the destruction left by Sandy “heartbreaking for the entire nation.” Over eight million people in 20 states and the District of Columbia remained without power Tuesday while communities throughout the New York metropolitan area dealt with destruction left by floods, fires and downed trees.

Determined not to fail victims, many of whom were still recovering from Hurricane Irene in August 2011, Obama pledged that he would not stand “for inaction” and that state officials won’t be hampered by the federal bureaucracy and red tape in receiving assistance promptly.

While praising first responder organizations such as the Red Cross for coming to the aid of victims, the president expressed sorrow for those people killed as the result of the storm and families who’ve lost homes due to Sandy.

Worried that the residual effects from Sandy could result in more flooding, the president and his top advisers also spoke with governors and mayors from the affected areas via a conference call to assure them the administration would be at their beck and call until the crisis has passed.

POSTED BY: Marilyn