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Congresswoman Waters’ Statement on Hurricane Matthew

October 13, 2016

Washington, DC– Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) issued the following statement in response to the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew:

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the survivors affected by Hurricane Matthew.

While we still do not yet know the full extent of the damage, Hurricane Matthew has left tremendous death and destruction in its wake as it carved a path across the southeastern United States, Haiti, and the Caribbean. At least 38 people have been killed in the United States alone. Flooding is extensive in North Carolina, where more than 2,000 people have been rescued and 4,000 remain in shelters. Many people are still being evacuated as flood waters continue to flow downstream.

I stand ready and willing to work with my colleagues in Congress; federal, state, and local officials; and our international partners to assist affected communities and help them recover from this terrible disaster. As Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee with jurisdiction over the National Flood Insurance Program, I am committed to making sure that as we prepare for the reauthorization of the NFIP we learn from the mistakes of the past and put in place a comprehensive disaster policy that works for homeowners, businesses, and renters across the country. In the same way that I stood with the flood victims in Baton Rouge earlier this year, I will work to ensure that the families picking up the pieces in the wake of Hurricane Matthew have the supplemental disaster funding they need to start the long road to recovery. I will also urge the President to use his full discretion to increase the federal share of disaster assistance to the affected communities and provide some relief from the economic problems that are sure to follow a disaster of this magnitude.

Hurricane Matthew has had an especially devastating impact on Haiti, an impoverished nation that is still struggling to recover from the catastrophic 2010 earthquake. The hurricane killed more than 1,000 Haitians, washed away crops, and destroyed houses, roads and infrastructure, mostly in the remote, western region of the country. I am encouraged that the United States government and the international community have already begun to provide humanitarian assistance to survivors in this region. As a friend of Haiti, I will be working closely with the Government of Haiti, the U.S. State Department, and international disaster relief agencies to help the people of Haiti recover from this disaster and rebuild their lives.

A renewed focus on the prevention and treatment of cholera is of particular urgency in Haiti since many affected communities lack access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure. The United Nations bears responsibility for introducing cholera into Haiti as a result of poor sanitation at its facilities. I therefore have urged the UN to ensure that its response to the cholera epidemic is sufficient to ensure justice for the people of Haiti and maintain the credibility and leadership of the UN. I will continue to monitor the UN’s cholera response in the aftermath of the hurricane to ensure that this disaster does not exacerbate the epidemic.

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