[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2871-S2872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE DISASTER IN NORTH DAKOTA
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise again today to report to my
colleagues on the developing disaster in the State of North Dakota. As
I reported to my colleagues yesterday, we were hit last weekend with
the most powerful winter storm in over 50 years. We are a State that is
accustomed to tough storms. But, frankly, we have never seen one quite
like this. Mr. President, this storm came on top of the worst flooding
threat in 150 years. So we have a double whammy of a powerful winter
storm, dumping record amounts of snowfall, in addition to an underlying
threat of massive flooding, because before this storm hit North Dakota,
we were faced with a record snowfall in the State of North Dakota, over
100 inches of snow, before we got dumped on with another anywhere from
17 to 24 inches in the eastern part of our State.
As the paper of my hometown reported, ``A Doozy of a Record''--record
snowfall they are talking about. It is maybe hard to see on the chart
here. But what they are showing is a major shopping center. These are
cars, or I guess more accurately they are the tops of cars. That is how
deep the snow was in my hometown.
That is not the only place that has been hit. It is across the State
of North Dakota. This is from the largest city in our State, Fargo, ND.
The headline there is ``The Worst of Two Seasons.'' They are talking
about the blizzard on top of the flood.
Mr. President, this is a truly staggering set of circumstances that
the people of my State are having to cope with. Just this morning I was
called by the head of the Corps of Engineers for our district, who
informed me that although all of the predictions were dire, they have
now become even worse.
As of this morning the National Weather Service is telling us that
the forecasted crest, instead of being 37\1/2\ feet in the city of
Fargo, our major town in North Dakota, it has now been raised to 39 to
39\1/2\. Already we are faced with the worst flood in 150 years. We
were told this morning that this is the 500-year flood level. Of
course, the dikes were built to accommodate the earlier projections at
37\1/2\ feet. So the dikes were built to 39\1/2\ feet. Now we are told
the forecasted crest is 39 to 39\1/2\ feet.
Mr. President, this could be a calamitous situation. They are telling
us that the crest will be reached late tomorrow or perhaps early
Friday.
I have talked to the Corps of Engineers. They are working feverishly
to add to the dikes that have already been constructed not only in
Fargo but right up the Red River Valley--in Harwood and Grand Forks,
ND--to try in a race against the clock to build these dikes high enough
to protect the people and the property that is around this river.
Mr. President, this is the most heavily populated part of my State.
The disaster that is unfolding is truly staggering in proportion.
Early Saturday 80,000 people were without power, with wind chills of
40 below zero. Can you imagine being an elderly person in a home being
faced with the most powerful winter storm in 50 years without heat?
That is what is happening in my State. Although great progress is being
made because of a really heroic effort by people to respond, still
today 20,000 people are without power and without heat, most of them
since Saturday.
Today temperatures outside are hovering near zero in North Dakota,
and even more threatening, temperatures inside these homes that are
without heat ranging between 30 and 40 degrees. Not only is the human
condition being put under great stress but also livestock has been put
under grave stress in our State. Thousands of cattle are dead.
I was told yesterday of a ranching family that brought 10 of their
calves into their home to try to give them protection, and allow them
to live. All 10 of them died. The cattle were dying because the wind
was so ferocious that it blew the snow up into their nostrils and they
suffocated. They can't get to many cattle to feed them because of the
snowdrifts that are everywhere.
Mr. President, I thought I would share with my colleagues just some
of the individual stories that tell the depths of this tragedy.
A young man froze to death in his pickup when it became stranded only
1 mile from the small town of Lankin, ND.
One family that is stranded in its farmhouse due to overland flooding
is burning its fence posts to keep warm. The water around their house
was iced over, so neither emergency vehicles nor boats were able to
rescue them. Another family was forced to snag logs that drifted by in
flood waters to heat their home.
The Turtle Mountain band of Chippewas has snowdrifts of up to 15
feet. Can you imagine a snowdrift of 15 feet that is blocking
transportation? In fact, emergency crews needed 4 hours to get to a man
who had a heart attack.
A man from Wilton, ND, went on the radio in search of hip-length
waders so that he could wade out to rescue 120 sheep that are caught up
in the flood waters.
An elderly couple was trapped inside their home due to a 6-inch layer
of ice that had formed over their doors and windows; trapped in their
own home because ice had formed around the doors and windows and they
could not get out. An emergency rescue team was sent in to rescue them.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's 5 minutes are up.
Mr. CONRAD. I thank the Chair for informing me. If we could now go on
with leader time, I would appreciate that.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 10 minutes.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, a family in northeastern North Dakota--two
parents and their 7-year-old--has been without power since Saturday
with snowdrifts trapping them in their home. They had to sleep huddled
in the hallway to keep warm.
Seventy-five people have been stuck in the basement of the Hebron
city hall because their cars were pulled off of the major highway going
by as that road became impassable. Those 75 people have been stuck
there since Saturday.
Officials in Cass County, the most populous county of our State, are
having difficulty responding to emergency calls because the water
surrounding many homes is frozen. So they can't get there by wheel
vehicles and they can't get there by boat. There is no
[[Page S2872]]
way to get to people in order to extricate them.
Mr. President, there has been a tremendous response, not only by
volunteers in our State but also by the agencies attempting to cope
with this disaster.
I want today to thank the President for responding so quickly in
declaring our State a Presidentially declared disaster. This is our
second Presidentially declared disaster of this year. We are only in
the fourth month of this year. We already had a Presidentially declared
disaster because of the record amounts of snowfall. Now on top of that
we are anticipating a record flood.
These are truly difficult times for our State. Many homes are still
without power. We need generators and fuel to heat homes, make certain
that essential services are up and operating. My State needs special
heavy equipment to clear snow and ice from roads to allow for emergency
access.
This is a snowfall that is unlike any we have seen because it
happened with a freezing rain and then snowfall, and so the snowpack
that is there is like concrete. That is what the people who are out
there trying to fight this mess are telling us. They have never seen a
snowpack like this. We had rain on top of snow, it froze, and it is
like concrete trying to break through these incredible snowdrifts.
I also want to recognize FEMA and the capable administrator there,
James Lee Witt, who is coming to my State tomorrow. FEMA has responded
marvelously to the needs in North Dakota. I also wish to thank the
Corps of Engineers that is involved in a really heroic effort. Some of
these people have been working around the clock with no sleep for days
attempting to build these dikes higher as the flood crest forecasts
keep increasing.
I just want to say on behalf of the people of my State how much we
appreciate the extraordinary response of the Corps of Engineers and of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
I would also like to thank the president of Manitoba Hydro, Bob
Brennan. We were alerted by the Governor; they were having trouble
getting people across our border. We got the Immigration and
Naturalization Service to provide an immediate 2-week waiver on all of
their requirements at the border. We talked to Manitoba Hydro and they
committed to sending 100 people to our State to help rebuild the
transmission facilities. Now, that is real neighborliness, and we
appreciate very much that our neighbor to the north has responded in
this most generous way of sending 100 people to help us rebuild the
transmission facilities in our State.
I would also like to thank the Internal Revenue Service. This is
something we rarely do. They have indicated that they would practice
forbearance on our individual income tax payers in the State of North
Dakota by allowing them to file by May 30 without late payment
penalties. They will be asked to pay interest on the money during the
period that they would have paid, but they are being given until May
30. If they file and if they pay by that date, they will not be hit by
any late-payment penalties. I am told that they are applying this same
standard to every State and every county that receives a Presidentially
declared disaster in the face of what is happening in many parts of the
country.
We struggle to find good news in all of this, hopeful news. But I can
tell you there is good news and there is hopeful news, and that is the
spirit of the people. In North Dakota, we say we have a yes, we can
attitude, and that is exactly what we have seen in coping with these
disasters. As one emergency official said to me, Senator, I have seen
blizzards; I have seen floods; I have seen power outages, but I have
never seen all three together at the same time.
That is what we are coping with in North Dakota. I must say that can-
do spirit has served us well. Not only do North Dakotans show that
spirit, but I must say these Federal agencies that have come to help
are also showing that spirit, and we deeply appreciate it.
I thank the Chair and yield back the remainder of my time.
I yield the floor. I note the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair.
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