A destroyed home is viewed along the beach in the Belle Harbor on January 2, 2013 in the Queens. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP)???The new Congress has passed a $9.7 billion bill to help pay flood insurance claims to homeowners, renters and businesses damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
The bill cleared the Senate following passage earlier Friday by the House. The House overwhelmingly approved the bill with a 354-67 vote. All of the no votes were cast by Republicans.
The bill replenishes the National Flood Insurance Program that was due to run out of money next week with some 115,000 Sandy-related claims as well as 5,000 from other floods unresolved.
?Today?s overwhelming vote to place the National Flood Insurance Program on sound financial footing to pay claims of those who suffered devastating losses from Superstorm?Sandy is a good first step,? Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) said?in a?statement.
Northeast lawmakers?have said?the money is urgently needed for storm victims awaiting claim checks. The most severe flooding occurred in Atlantic City, New York City, Long Island and along the Connecticut coastline.
?My constituents and all the victims of Hurricane Sandy?many of whom are still living in misery?shouldn?t have to wait any longer to get the help they need to move forward with their lives,? Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said in a statement. ?As a nation, we have always provided federal assistance in times of disaster, and help for Sandy victims is long overdue.?
House Speaker John Boehner promised a House vote Friday after his decision to delay an action on a broader Sandy relief package provoked outrage from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The flood insurance measure is the first phase of a proposed Sandy aid package. Under Boehner?s new schedule, the House will vote Jan. 15 on an additional $51 billion in recovery money. Senate action on that measure is expected the following week.
?It is disappointing, disgusting, and frustrating that the House Republican leadership continues to play politics in delaying a vote to fully fund disaster relief,? Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.??I hope sincerely that the Republican leadership honors its commitment to holding a vote on the rest of disaster relief funding on January 15, for we must act swiftly to ensure millions do not continue to suffer under the yoke of partisanship.?
?Today?s vote was a down payment on a much larger aid bill,? Rep. Michael G. Grimm (R-N.Y.) said in a statement. ?The NFIP is at its limit, and without this additional borrowing authority, Superstorm Sandy survivors awaiting payments on their flood insurance claims would be forced to go without.?
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) said the money is crucial.
?This week?s events make it clear that the need for help is real and that any additional delays in providing federal aid will be met with fierce resistance from myself, members of the delegation and Governor Christie,? he said in a statement.
About 140,000 Sandy-related flood insurance claims have been filed, FEMA officials said, and most have yet to be closed out. Many flood victims have only received partial payments on their claims.
Sandy was the most costly natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was blamed for at least 120 deaths. Northeast lawmakers have complained that it took just 10 days for Congress to approve about $50 billion in aid for Katrina but that it hasn?t provided aid for Sandy relief in more than two months.
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Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/04/congress-to-vote-on-superstorm-sandy-flood-aid/
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