Highlighting Hurricane Melissa Relief Efforts

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul met with nonprofit and health care leaders to highlight Hurricane Melissa relief efforts.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

Hello, everyone. I know I'm in the right place because I feel the love and compassion that just envelops you when you walk through the doors of this incredible institution. Montefiore Einstein is legendary in terms of people's confidence that when they or their family members need top quality health care, they can get it when they come here. And I can see it in the faces of all of you who are part of this incredible family how much you truly care not just about people in the Bronx, but today, you're demonstrating it goes beyond our boundaries. You care deeply about what is happening in the beautiful island known as Jamaica.

Anybody here from Jamaica? Family members? We love Jamaica. New York is so proud to be the home of the largest Jamaican population in this country, over 200,000 strong. I think most of them are in this room, personally. That's what it feels like to me.

For Dr. Ozuah and to this entire family, the team here, all the hardworking members of 1199, you give yourselves a round of applause. You are showing what heart is all about, right? You're showing what heart is. Because you also have other responsibilities: taking care of patients here, taking care of your families, living life. But when the tragedy strikes as it did 27 days ago when a Category 5 hurricane pummeled that island of over two million people — creating havoc and flooding and destroying homes and places of business and destroying lives — we didn't turn our backs and say, “No, we’ve got enough of our own problems here in New York,” we turned outward to find paths to say, “You have friends far away and we care about you.” So that is what this is all about.

And I want to thank our elected leaders here too. Our Congressmembers, Adriano Espaillat and Ritchie Torres, for fighting the good fight for us in Washington every single day. It is not easy out there. We are blessed to have you. Keep up the fight. We'll keep supporting you. Also, our State Senator, Gustavo Rivera has joined us, I thank you for your leadership here. We have our Assemblymembers, Dais and also Dinowitz is here as well, Jeffrey Dinowitz. Did I see him come in? Okay. Got them all here. And Jamaal Bailey, Senator Jamaal Bailey. I know you heard a lot of applause for him when he walked in the room.

But I'm just here to say, thank you. I'm so proud of what you're doing here today. So proud. I'm looking at what you've already sent, what is going to go there. And as you see these packages here today and know they're getting on a plane, just in a matter of days, know that they'll be in the hands of people who are so desperate for help. And they know that they have a state known as New York, where New York loves Jamaica with all its heart.

So thank you everybody for being on the front lines, not just here, but the front lines of Jamaica taking care of our people. Thank you so much, everyone.