Lawmaker ‘amazed’ at New York’s preparedness

Sailboats rock in choppy water at a dock along the Hudson River Greenway during a storm, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in New York. Hurricane Sandy continued on its path Monday, forcing the shutdown of mass transit, schools and financial markets, sending coastal residents fleeing for higher ground, and threatening a dangerous mix of high winds and soaking rain. AP/Jeffrey Furticella

MANILA, Philippines—The chairperson of the Senate committee on climate change is amazed at the sense of preparedness and political will of New York’s local officials as Hurricane Sandy hit the US east coast.

“Their sense of preparedness is amazing and the political will of their leaders like Mayor Bloomberg is laudable considering he closed down the subways, forcibly evacuated residents as he did in Hurricane Irene,” Senator Loren Legarda said when asked if there was anything the Philippines could learn from the US response to the “Frankenstorm.”

“Even President Obama has been on national TV warning people to take it seriously,” Legarda told the Inquirer.—Norman Bordadora