Governor Hochul: "Any time Puerto Rico needs us, we are there. We will always be there for you. And to the people who worked so closely to bring us this incredible tribute to the lives that were lost. It's extraordinary. It's truly an extraordinary piece of art that is almost indescribable. Antonio, you did a beautiful job with this. You captured the essence of the experience that people were living through during those horrific days and weeks and months, it seemed like years, before there was any semblance of normalcy."
Hochul: "The voices are the ones that need the representation, the voices that are still on Puerto Rico, the people who are still wondering what the future's going to be like them, and will they be prepared for that next hurricane that comes through or that next storm or that next earthquake? And I will pledge the same resources we sent last time and more. We will send airplanes down when no other will. I'll send the National Guard down, all the utility workers, I'll send our students once again, I'll send whoever needs to be sent to make sure that we don't make you suffer one second longer than necessary."
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul observed the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Maria.
VIDEO of the Governor's remarks is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of today's remarks is available here.
PHOTOS will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
All right. You had to bring up the salsa dancing, okay? My kids are like, you really did that? When you're in the Bronx, you do as Bronxites do, right. Of course it was wonderful. It is great to be here. It's not a celebration, but it's a gathering of a community, a community that went through a collective experience that was so deeply painful, that it hurts to think about it four years later.
But I want to thank all the people who are here today. You all have busy lives, many things to do, but as I always say, most of life is about simply showing up. You show up. Your presence here today means so much to me. It's a symbol of the unity that we will display today, tomorrow, and going forward. Any time Puerto Rico needs us, we are there. We will always be there for you.
And to the people who worked so closely to bring us this incredible tribute to the lives that were lost. It's extraordinary. It's truly an extraordinary piece of art that is almost indescribable. Antonio, you did a beautiful job with this. You captured the essence of the experience that people were living through during those horrific days and weeks and months, it seemed like years, before there was any semblance of normalcy.
I went down afterward to deal with the aftermath of an earthquake. I was with our great Secretary of State. We were doing cleanup after an earthquake. Like, God, Dios, leave Puerto Rico alone. They've had enough, they suffered enough. But you all came together here today. And I do want to acknowledge some incredible individuals.
First of all, to our Borough President here, Gale Brewer, thank you, you've always been a tremendous friend and ally. It's hard to imagine the City without the two of you in your current jobs. I mean, it's just, I don't even want to fathom this because you've been just powerhouses and great friends of mine as well. And Borough President Ruben Diaz, I want to thank you for your friendship, for your friendship. Senator Serrano, you've been a great ally as well. I thank you for all you're done. You've been a tremendous fighter. Maritza Davila, thank you for your work on this project as well. And I want to thank you for being a friend of mine and being there to make sure that we understand the issues that are so important. Jessica, we're looking forward to working very closely with you in the Assembly, Jessica González-Rojas. Robert Rodriguez, thank you for your support, José Rivera.
But also, we have an incredible cabinet and I want to continue to diversify my cabinet as I'm building my team here. And I have openings. And I've said to many people, I want to have many Latinos, but I'm particularly, particularly, particularly partial to Latinas, okay, I'm sorry. It's time to right the injustice of too many Latina voices being suppressed. And I know that's not what today is about, but I am constantly saying to people like my great friend from Congress, Nydia Velázquez, send me more talent, send me more people, give me ideas, because I will not feel that we've had a fulfilled administration that represents this entire state until we up those numbers and make sure their voices are heard.
But currently we have some outstanding individuals who have done a job that I'm so proud of, starting with our Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, a true leader. Ruth Colon from the New York Power Authority. Ruth, thank you for all you do. Neysa Alsina, my Executive Director of New York State pandemic relief. If you're looking for your pandemic relief, say hi to my newest member of my cabinet. Julissa Gutierrez, our Chief Diversity Officer is here, Thank you. Clarissa Rodriguez, the chair of the Workers Compensation Board. And yes, we actually let a few men in. Let's say hello to Gil Quiniones, the president of the Power Authority, and Félix Matos Rodríguez our CUNY Chancellor.
So these are the individuals who are the voices, but they truly are important, with the voices are the ones that need the representation, the voices that are still on Puerto Rico, the people who are still wondering what the future's going to be like them, and will they be prepared for that next hurricane that comes through or that next storm or that next earthquake? And I will pledge the same resources we sent last time and more. We will send airplanes down when no other will. I'll send the National Guard down, all the utility workers, I'll send our students once again, I'll send whoever needs to be sent to make sure that we don't make you suffer one second longer than necessary.
And it'll always be a national disgrace, the visuals of a president who showed up and tossed paper towels to a crowd, and thought that that's how you give people relief. And I'm not even sure they're a good quality paper towels, you know, they're probably those one-ply ones that don't really work, you know. Never again will we allow that shame to behold fellow Americans, because they are fellow Americans. Puerto Ricans are part of our family. And if you ever dispute that and you have to go through me, because I will say you are wrong, my friend, you are absolutely wrong.
And Puerto Rico has many challenges. I spoke to my friend Frankie Miranda today. I said, Frankie, am I going to see you tonight? He says, I'm in Washington, DC fighting for Puerto Rico. And I said, keep up the good fight, and you tell whoever you're with, New York State is with you now, later and forever. We stand united with Puerto Rico. So thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to come out and support you today. This is a place of also quiet reflection, and let's not forget that there are lives that are not celebrating the next holidays or will be united with their families, whether they're in Puerto Rico or here in the states. They're the ones that are represented by this. They're the ones that we lost, the ones we love and the ones who will never be forgotten. That's the message of today—never forgotten. Thank you, my friends.