These barrier islands and barrier islands around the US are extraordinarily important. They do protect the mainland coast form the higher wave energies. They are also important in protecting bio diversity. They are important refuges for plants and animals.

Common sense tells you that the more frequent these storms are the worse off we are all going to be and certainly the worse off the barrier islands are going to be. These islands had quite a long time to recover after Hurricane Camille. Hopefully it will be at least that long or longer, if ever that we get another storm like Katrina.

The ultimate goal is to provide in 5 years a sound scientific basis for the management of the barrier islands here and also around the United States.

This was very complicated. It's not a simple case of cut the roof off or take the door off. We had to strategically place the cuts so we could get the patient out without further injury.

Anything that comes up in the assembly that is likely to lead us closer to the Republic of Ireland -- we will block these, we will vote against them, and we will endeavor to stop them.

All of us have voiced the opinion that there's going to be a crash here. Somebody's going to be killed. And yesterday, that happened.