Mr. Obama arrived downtown about 1:30 p.m. Residents lined the sidewalks along Main Street, in some places standing several people deep, and the president’s motorcade was met with loud cheers as it passed through.
The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Mr. Obama planned to meet with local officials, and also wanted to get an assessment of the damage from federal emergency management officials who have been on the scene since the hurricane swept through the Northeast last Sunday, The Associated Press reported.
Mr. Carney said that Mr. Obama chose to visit Paterson because “this was a place he can visit that had particularly severe impacts,” adding that the president was also keeping tabs on Tropical Storm Lee, which made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday.
Paterson, which with about 150,000 residents is New Jersey’s third-largest city, was devastated by flooding last week after the Passaic River overwhelmed its banks and submerged entire city blocks... On Sunday, orange-and-white plastic barricades blocked off parts of Paterson’s downtown in preparation for the president’s visit, and residents traded theories on where Mr. Obama might visit during his time here... Mr. Obama last week declared major federal disasters in New Jersey, New York and other areas on the East Coast, stretching from North Carolina to New Hampshire, that were hit hard by the storm... FEMA expanded its disaster declaration for New Jersey to allow residents of 16 of the state’s 21 counties to apply for individual assistance from the federal government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/nyregion/obama-visits-flood-ravaged-new-jersey.html
President Obama greeted residents of Wayne, N.J., while touring damage caused by Hurricane Irene.
Obama toured Wayne briefly before traveling by motorcade to Paterson before 2 p.m., where he will see some of the most flood-damaged streets in the state. After riding into Paterson past thousands of cheering residents lining Main Street, the president viewed the still closed Main Street bridge over the Passaic River.
"We are going to make sure we provide the resources needed," Obama said.
With piles of furniture and carpeting lining the street, residents described how high the water had come and how long they had been evacuated. Francisco Alarco of 175 Fayette said the water had gone over his front deck and into the House. After Obama posed for pictures and shook hands with his family, Alarco said he felt better about things.
"I am very happy," he said. "When I heard he was coming to Paterson I was hoping he'd come here and it happened.''
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/president_obama_to_visit_pater_1.html
President Barack Obama talks to residents on flood damaged Fayette Ave in Wayne as he visits areas damaged by Hurricane Irene
President Barack Obama hugs a woman on flood damaged Fayette Ave in Wayne as he visits areas damaged by Hurricane Irene.
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