ALBANY -- Upstate is well-represented on a new congressional coalition formed to aid in the recovery from Tropical Storm Irene.
U.S. Reps. Chris Gibson, Paul Tonko, Nan Hayworth, Maurice Hinchey and Bill Owens are among the co-chairs of a bipartisan Hurricane Irene Coalition, which includes 30 House members from communities affected by last month's storm.
The group met Thursday morning with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and White House staff. Fugate briefed the group on the scope of the storm and the ongoing recovery efforts.
The coalition will work to ensure FEMA has the resources it needs, and serve as a resource for members to support recovery efforts in their districts.
"I am heartened by this bipartisan effort to ensure we expedite federal aid money, particularly to those hardest hit," Gibson said in a statement.
"Through the Irene coalition, I will work with my colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to ensure we provide the needed resources to those hard hit during the past week," Tonko said in an email.
Other coalition co-chairs come from Vermont, Connecticut, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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