Hurricane Sandy hits the East Coast

This past week, the East Coast has been getting battered by Hurricane Sandy. And there's enough talk and news surrounding the natural disaster. First of all, let's start with Mitt Romney. Hip Hop Wired reports:

Mitt Romney is doing more damage control over previous comments he made about wanting to cut the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In the wake of Sandy—the storm which destroyed many areas on the East Coast—Romney is assuring the public that while last year he thought that disaster recovery should be left up to the state, and not the federal agency, if he were president he wouldn't leave victims without proper assistance.
 
One day after dodging the questions about his stance 14 times, Romney released a statement outlining his new position. “I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with state and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters,” he said.

“As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfill its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because state and localities are in the best positions to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.”

Secondly, there's the New Jersey Governor postponing Halloween due to Hurricane Sandy. Which by the way, is absolutely asinine in my opinion. Hip Hop Wired reports:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has changed the date of Halloween, in his state.

Rather than celebrating the holiday today, Christie has postponed observance until Nov. 5, while the area recovers from the after effects of Sandy which hit the area as a tropical cyclone late Monday (Oct. 29).

“I've taken this action to minimize additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy,” Christie announced in a statement. “In too many communities in our state, the damage and losses from this storm are still being sorted out, and dangerous conditions abound even as our emergency management and response officials continue their work.

“As governor, it is my responsibility to use all available resources of the state government to protect against the emergency created by Hurricane Sandy — postponing Halloween celebrations by five days is a commonsense and necessary step to accomplish that.”

Officials on a local level made decisions on halting Halloween celebrations before Christie's announcement.

Lastly, there's President Obama's response to the act of nature. Hip Hop Wired has more:

President Obama made it to New Jersey Wednesday (Oct. 31) afternoon, where he was given an aerial view of the devastation leftover by Sandy.

With areas still not reachable by foot, Obama was met by state Gov. Chris Christie, who lauded his efforts in expeditiously singing declarations  allowing for federal aid to make it to the area.

“We are here for you and we will not forget, we will follow up to make sure you get all the help you need until you rebuild,” the president said while in the island city of Brigantine, where he stopped by the  Brigantine Beach Community Center to greet victims who sought shelter in the building.

The president also praised Christie for being “responsive” and “aggressive,” and gave thanks to first responders for their hard work.

More than 2,000 members of FEMA have been sent to the area to help victims of the vicious storm. “We expedited the emergency declaration for the state of New Jersey and for local counties that have been affected,” Obama explained. “What that means is people can immediately begin applying for emergency assistance.”

In the aftermath of the storm, public transportation in the tri-state area was put on hold, and 12,000 flights to and from the East Coast were grounded.