Press Conference by Governor Christie: The Optional Buyouts Will Start Right Here In Sayreville

Press Conference

Governor Christie: Sayreville is one of the first places I came to after Sandy, and walked through some neighborhoods here that have been completely devastated by what happened and it wasn't the first time that these neighborhoods had been hit and hit hard in this town, and as I walked through that day and talked to a number of residents, a number of them, the mayor was with me that day, came up to me and said you have to help us. Get us out of here. We can't take it anymore. You know, when folks in New Jersey tell you that, you have to listen because that's contrary to everything, the spirit that we have in this state. We're fighters; we're tough, and these people are fighters and tough. But there comes a moment when you just know that Mother Nature is getting the best of you, and that no matter how hard you fight and how hard you pray, that it's not going to change. And so I listened really hard to those voices and I have to tell you that some of the people I met that day have been in my mind for the last nearly seven months. I saw and felt emotion that day that I saw and felt in very few places across this state, really tough, gritty people who had just been beaten down and who needed some help, and so as we were fighting for this federal aid package in Washington I was fighting as hard as I was against both parties because of those folks that I met. I said to any number of members of Congress who I was personally lobbying either in person or over the telephone, you should meet some of the people that I've met, and you should see some of the things I've seen, and if you have, if you had seen those things, you wouldn't be arguing with me right now about this. You'd be just asking me, Governor, how much do those folks need and when, and how quickly can we get it to them? Well we fought, and the fight at the end would up to be a victory for us, and when we were sitting and figuring out what do we need to do, one of the first things that I decided we needed to do was to focus on those kind of homeowners and make sure that we take care of them. So what I'm happy to come to Sayreville to announce today is that the federal government has approved giving us $300 million to buy out homes and we're going to start right here in Sayreville.

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