[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 15 (Friday, February 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1130-S1131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE--STORIES FROM THE WINTER OF 1996-97

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, one of the great fears of our time has 
been that America is slowly losing its sense of community and, with it, 
the idea that each of us has a responsibility toward one another. 
Today, I am proud to say that all around America our spirit of 
community remains strong. As you know, the Great Plains have been 
paralyzed this winter by terrible blizzards, high winds, and subzero 
temperatures. But thanks to the efforts of individuals all over the 
country, I am happy to report this afternoon that we are pulling 
through.
  I am proud to say that during the worst of the bitter cold and 
howling winds, South Dakotans have been at their best. They have 
bundled up, put on their boots and trudged outside to help their 
friends and neighbors--even perfect strangers--make it safely through 
dangerous storms.
  Residents of the northern Great Plains are accustomed to harsh 
winters. But all would agree, this winter has been especially brutal. 
Some say it is the worst we have seen this century. I remind you that 
most of this century has already passed.
  In the blizzards that descended upon us in January, wind chill 
temperatures dropped to nearly 90 degrees below zero. Blowing snow 
covered roads with drifts that were as high as 30 feet and 60 feet 
long. Visibility dropped to less than a few feet as 60-mile-an-hour 
winds whipped snow into swirling white walls, hiding everyone and 
everything before it.
  With roads closed, thousands of South Dakotans were left with only 
the food in their cupboards and a dwindling supply of propane to heat 
their homes. Even more seriously, travelers were left stranded on the 
highways, and many of our elderly residents and those in need of 
medical attention were cut off from any assistance.
  I wish I could say that we survived these dangers unharmed, but I 
cannot. Five people have died directly as a result of these conditions. 
Others have died in the aftermath of the repeated ice storms and 
blizzards. While today we honor the heroes of these difficult times, we 
must also remember the victims. To those who lost loved ones this 
winter, I want to say that our thoughts and our prayers are with you.
  Our hearts also go out to those whose farms and homes and businesses 
have been so hard hit by the heavy snow and cold. No one can know for 
sure how many livestock have died, but estimates range at least as high 
as 40,000. I urge all of those who have suffered loss not to go through 
this tragedy alone. There is no shame in asking for help.
  Despite our losses, the heavy toll of this winter could be much 
worse. Many might have died, but did not. Many might have gone without 
heat and food and medicine, but were brought needed supplies just in 
time. This is due not to luck but to the simple fact that South 
Dakotans from every walk of life have pitched in to ensure that we get 
through this winter as safely as we can and together.
  No one can list the thousands of people who put themselves at risk to 
help the victims of these storms, and no one can tell all of their 
stories. Indeed, the few I want to relate today only scratch the 
surface of those that might be told.
  Time and again across South Dakota, neighbor has checked on neighbor, 
and families have taken in stranded travelers in need of assistance. 
Emergency snowmobile crews have teamed up with local police departments 
to ensure that doctors and nurses have made it to work over snow-
clogged roads.
  In fact, just last night my parents told me of a cousin of mine who 
left his home at 3 o'clock in the morning, on a Saturday morning, to 
drive 300 miles to buy a new snow blower he was going to use in the 
community. He brought it

[[Page S1131]]

back that morning, and his wife told my parents that it was the single 
biggest event that has occurred in that area in decades.

  They have delivered medicine to the homebound and brought spare parts 
to farmers in need of aid. During the darkest, coldest parts of the 
blizzard that have torn through our State, they have risked their lives 
to rescue stranded motorists and brought life-saving medical attention 
to those in need.
  One of those teams was the Drift Busters. The Drift Busters is a 
snowmobile club in Aberdeen, my hometown, which went into action 
shortly after the onset of our most recent blizzard. Their quick action 
and bravery were instrumental in saving the residents of Aberdeen from 
serious harm.
  One of the most threatening situations occurred when 2-year-old 
Stetson Heirigs accidentally ingested poison and needed emergency care 
in a hospital. After a quick conference call with Stetson's family and 
the poison control center, club president Duane Sutton drove his 
snowmobile over 7 miles through darkness, blowing snow, and bitter cold 
to reach the family's home near Richmond Lake. Then, with the aid of a 
comember, Dennis Beckler, he ensured that the boy reached the hospital 
safely and received the treatment he needed just in time. Today Stetson 
is safe and healthy.
  Extraordinary bravery has been a fact of life throughout the course 
of this winter. We have all heard the remarkable story of Karen Nelson, 
a nursing home aide from Webster who was stranded for over 40 hours in 
her pickup after becoming disoriented on the roads she has driven her 
entire life. With her engine running for heat and her cellular phone 
her only link to the world, Karen waited through the hours of darkness, 
crying and praying, as a team from around the State assembled to find 
her.
  From Rapid City came aircraft equipped with special heat-seeking 
sensors to scour the drifts from the sky. From Watertown came experts 
in communications to triangulate the signal from Karen's phone and 
narrow down her location. Meanwhile, Day County rescue teams in 
snowmobiles and four-wheel-drive vehicles combed the roads for any sign 
of her car. At last she was found when she told the rescue team over 
her phone that she heard the sound of engines overhead. I cannot 
adequately express how proud we are of all the outstanding people that 
made Karen's rescue possible, and of Karen for her bravery in enduring 
those long, cold hours before the rescuers arrived.
  Many of the dangerous circumstances of this winter have been found on 
South Dakota's Indian reservations. Blasted by blizzard after blizzard 
and woefully short of money and equipment, tribal workers have acted 
courageously throughout this difficult season.
  Of particular note are the Rescue Rangers of the Cheyenne River 
Reservation, who during the height of the January blizzards led convoys 
of snowplows, ambulances, and four-wheel-drive vehicles to ensure that 
medical attention was received where it was needed. In dangerous 
conditions, the Rescue Rangers plowed through 30-foot drifts packed 
harder than adobe by 80-mile-an-hour winds. Creating an even greater 
challenge were the vast distances that had to be traveled to reach 
those in need.
  At one point this month, seven Rescue Rangers nearly froze after 
becoming stranded on an 85-mile trip to provide medical attention to a 
tribal elder.
  A truly heart-wrenching story was related to me by Gregg Bourland, 
chairman of the Cheyenne River Reservation, who told me of two families 
stranded in a snow-blocked pass on highway 63. After 14 hours, 
frostbitten and certain that rescue would come too late, the parents 
placed tags with vital information on each of their children so they 
might be identified after they had died. Thankfully, the Rescue Rangers 
arrived in time.
  Luckily, not all of the stories of this winter are as terrible as 
that. For instance, I was touched to learn of the Bredvik family, who 
opened their home to stranded motorists along I-29 near the North 
Dakota border. While Lynn Bredvik picked up the travelers one by one in 
his snowmobile and brought them home, his mother Dorothy opened up her 
kitchen and provided each with a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, 
bread, and, in South Dakota, lefse. When asked why she would open her 
home to over a dozen strangers, Dorothy said it was ``old hat'' to her. 
It is what families do during blizzards.

  I think Dorothy has summed it up for all of us. Her actions might 
seem extraordinary to someone else, but for people like her they are 
old hat. We like to think of our State as the biggest small town in 
America, where everyone is a member of the same community. We 
understand you cannot make it through this world alone and that we have 
a responsibility to help each other whenever or wherever we can.
  We will need to continue to do that because this winter is not over. 
Weather reports from South Dakota continue to tell us of minus-50 
degree windchills. We have received nearly 10 inches of new snow in the 
past couple of days, and there are over 2 more months of snow to come. 
We need to make sure that the farmers and ranchers devastated by their 
livestock losses can get the help they need and that low-income 
families can keep their homes heated during this freezing weather.
  We must prepare ourselves for the inevitable floods of spring. When 
the great drifts that currently cover my State begin to melt, they will 
release their force on areas that have been declared Federal flood 
disasters in the last 4 of 5 years. Simply put, come spring there will 
be nowhere left for the water to go. We need to ensure that prompt 
Federal assistance is made available when this flooding occurs. These 
are difficult challenges to be sure, but together I am absolutely 
convinced that we will overcome them. We always do.
  Finally, I want to thank everyone whose help has been so vital to 
South Dakota. This has been more than an individual or a State effort. 
America has pulled together. Our neighbors to the south, north, west 
and to the east have all helped and sent something--snowblowers, 
snowplows, teams of rescue workers. For hours upon end, workers and 
snowplows donated from States as far away as Texas have labored 
alongside our National Guard to keep the roads clear.
  During the worst of the storms, when the Pine Ridge Indian 
Reservation was cut off from the outside world, 25,000 pounds of food 
were donated by Feed the Children, based in Oklahoma City, and 
delivered to Pine Ridge by the 28th Transportation Squadron of 
Ellsworth Air Force Base. Together they worked to ensure that no one 
would go without food. Indeed, help has poured into South Dakota from 
around the country. Even as we speak, Federal Emergency Management 
Agency teams are fanning out over South Dakota to assess the damage and 
bring help where it is needed. Thanks to the rapid response of 
President Clinton, public and private agencies too numerous to mention, 
and the support of our friends and neighbors all over, I am proud to 
announce to my colleagues this afternoon that we are pulling through.
  So thank you, South Dakota, and thank you America. We are proud of 
you. All of your stories will never be known but you can be sure that 
they are alive in the hearts of those of us whom you have helped when 
we needed it the most.
  I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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