As soon as the Hurricane Sandy relief bill that the U.S. Senate passed Monday night lands on President Obama’s desk, he says he will sign it. But he notes that legislation to help families and communities recover from the devastating November hurricane is long overdue.

For the families working to put their lives back together, every day without relief is one day too many.

The U.S. House on Tuesday night finally passed the major Hurricane Sandy relief bill to help hundreds of thousands of East Coast families and communities recover and rebuild from the massive November storm. But House Speaker John Boehner’s (R) nearly monthlong delay in holding the vote continues to stall the much-needed help as the out-of-session Senate will not be able to vote on the bill until next week.

President Obama this weekend signed the patchwork aid bill that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) put before the new Congress only after he was eviscerated by members of his own party and Hurricane Sandy victims for blocking a comprehensive hurricane relief package on the last day of the 112th Congress.

New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech and New Jersey State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan send us this update on Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. 

The UAW in Atlantic City has thousands of members who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. In addition to sustaining major property losses, our brothers and sisters have had their hours cut because of the devastation to the casino industry. The critical message to our members is that they are not in this alone. Various recovery resources are available, and we will do everything to get them the help they need as soon as possible.

Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, and Laurel Brennan, secretary-treasurer of New Jersey State AFL-CIO, send us this. 

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is working diligently with election officials to ensure that first responders and our fellow New Jerseyans displaced by Hurricane Sandy can vote in this election. The destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy exceeded what any of us could have imagined, but we are determined to rebuild, restore and move forward. With Election Day tomorrow, one of our first challenges is to make sure our democratic process proceeds unimpeded. We will continue to provide updates on available voting options and currently recommend the following voting methods to displaced New Jerseyans and first responders to protect your right to vote this Election Day:

If you're in New York and need assistance locating Hurricane Sandy resources or want to volunteer to help, here are some links to get you started:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's Website

This site has comprehensive info on applying for FEMA assistance, updates on gas shortages, warming centers and tips for cold weather, transportation (bridges, roads, subways, railways), food assistance, power outage updates, unemployment insurance and more.

http://www.governor.ny.gov/ 

If you're in New Jersey and need assistance locating Hurricane Sandy resources, here are some links to get you started:

NJ 2-1-1 Hurricane Response and Recovery

http://www.nj211.org/hurricane.cfm

With more than a dozen states still reeling from the massive impact of Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is coordinating the complex rescue, recovery and repair response. But last year, Mitt Romney said disaster and emergency management should be left up to the states and private corporations.

Hurricane Sandy, one of the largest hurricanes in decades, is slamming into the mid-Atlantic and northeast United States starting late Sunday. Bill Hauenstein, AFL-CIO Community Services liaison for the Northeast region, provides useful links for union leaders, members and families preparing for and dealing with Sandy’s impact and aftermath.

What are you doing to help your union brothers and sisters weather the storm?

If you are a union member who participates in Union Plus programs and have been affected by the recent tornadoes that struck the Midwest, you may be eligible for financial assistance.