The State of New York Needs to Sign Mission Assignments More Quickly

Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012, near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The storm was the second largest Atlantic hurricane on record, with a diameter of tropical storm force winds spanning more than 900 miles, and it affected one of the most densely populated areas in the northeastern United States. The storm affected coastal and inland communities resulting in loss of life, major flooding, structural damage, and power loss to more than 8.5 million homes and businesses, directly affecting more than 17 million individuals. The President declared a disaster for New Jersey and for New York on October 30, 2012. Because of the devastation caused by the storm and the impacted population, the President provided direction that all Federal agencies were to lean forward and “cut through” bureaucracy and red tape in efforts to expedite response aid to survivors.