When Isabel came in, she at one point looked like she was coming in straight at us. About a one-degree difference two days out could have put her right on us.

It can be hard to get large and expensive projects approved in a federal budget. The recent events show that it is better to make the investment before a disaster occurs.

The money spent up front to avoid damage is a very small amount compared to what is spent to recover from a disaster,

We're trying to get the certificate by the 30th.

There are other areas where Congress can look to control costs and expenses. It's not necessarily quid-pro-quo that the money will come out of other coastal or water projects.

We can't base our absolute actions on predictions of what might be, ... We know there's a lot of uncertainty. If we get to the point where we have to nourish this beach every year, we know we'll have to try something different.