[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 8 (Friday, January 13, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S921-S922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE CALIFORNIA FLOOD

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I have not spoken yet on the floor 
regarding the disaster that has hit my State of California. Senator 
Feinstein was on this floor and brought the Senate up-to-date a couple 
of days ago. I would like to do the same, and then I would like to 
speak about another very urgent issue regarding safety at reproductive 
health care clinics. I see that Senator Feingold has joined me, and he 
will be participating in that particular discussion.
  Mr. President, 34 counties have been declared State disaster areas 
and 24 counties have been declared Federal disaster areas, and we 
expect others to be added shortly. I do not think I have to tell my 
colleagues that the people in California have, once again, been struck 
by Mother Nature in a very difficult way.
  We live in a very magnificent State. We treasure it and we prize its 
beauty--its rivers, ocean, mountains, streams, creeks, forests, and 
deserts. And because we are such a magnificent State, we just have to 
put up with our share of natural disasters. I want to say, once again, 
to my colleagues how appreciative Californians are for the swift relief 
we got from the Clinton administration, backed in a very bipartisan way 
by this Congress, and we are rebuilding. Now we have people thrown out 
of their homes because of ravaging floods. The power of that water--
someone described it as a 500-year occasion in some parts of the 
State--is just overwhelming.
  What we know is that we have a little break in the weather right now. 
I am very anxious to get on a plane and go back and see for myself 
exactly what damage will last after this flood and what we need to do. 
But today I merely want to bring you up-to-date. Santa Barbara has 
reported $20 million in damage, and Sacramento reports at least $50 
million in damage. The FEMA 
[[Page S922]] emergency phone number is 1-800-462-9029. I say that in 
case we have any Californians who need to hear that number. The reason 
that number is important is, if you have damage, you call there and you 
are eligible for short-term emergency assistance, such as 
transportation and housing, and longer term registration if you need a 
loan up to $200,000, if your home has been lost and its value is that 
high.
  The loans are made to people who cannot qualify at banks, and the 
interest rate will be about 4 percent. If you can qualify at a bank, 
the interest rate will be about 8 percent. I want to thank the Clinton 
administration for acting so swiftly. James Lee Witt, the Director of 
FEMA, unfortunately, has become a familiar figure in our State. He is 
an extraordinary man. He happened to be there during this disaster and 
has remained there. We are getting ready for what is to come. I urge my 
colleagues to please help us as we would help you in a similar 
situation, indeed as we have helped you in a similar situation.


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