A Mississippi congressman who last week voted against relief aid for Hurricane Sandy victims reversed his stance after a visit to New Jersey and Staten Island, according to a report on SILive.com.

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), represents several Gulf Coast areas hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2007, areas that benefited from federal aid.

Palazzo last week voted against allowing a federal flood program to borrow the $9.7 billion intended to help Sandy victims.

The bill passed anyway, even without the support of Palazzo and 66 other Republicans. It cleared the House with 354 votes.

But perhaps seeing really is believing.

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) in a photo from his Facebook page.

After touring New Jersey with GOP Rep. Jon Runyan and Staten Island with officials there, Palazzo likened much of the damage he saw to that experienced by Katrina victims.

"Mississippians have been through much of what the Sandy victims are experiencing," Palazzo told SILive.com.

"Now is the time for the federal government to provide immediate relief to those affected by the storm," Palazzo said in a statement after his visits. "I am fully committed to providing the relief they so desperately need."

An advocate for federal disaster relief in the wake of Katrina, lawmakers believe Palazzo’s reversed stance may influence other holdouts in the GOP-controlled House.

With Palazzo’s support, the measure needs four more votes to clear the House.

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