[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3545-S3546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            COMMENDING VOLUNTEERS ON THE FLOOD RELIEF EFFORT

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I want to highlight the commendable effort 
displayed by the legion of West Virginia volunteers who have done so 
much to help their neighbors and communities affected by last month's 
flooding in sixteen West Virginia counties. Their selfless dedication 
to neighbors in need is in the finest West Virginia tradition of 
community spirit and support.
  The efforts of volunteers from the Fire and Rescue Departments 
throughout the affected area are especially noteworthy. These heroic 
workers rescued numerous families and individuals trapped by the raging 
flood waters that swept through my beloved state. You may recall some 
of the harrowing events displayed on television news, particularly from 
those hardest hit counties of Kanawha, Cabell, and Wirt. Also working 
during the storms and in their destructive aftermath, utility employees 
labored long hours in driving rain and deep mud to restore electricity, 
gas, water, and sewer service to the affected communities.
  Mr. President, churches have always sustained the people of West 
Virginia, and never more so than when disaster strikes. Aside from 
providing physical sustenance to the affected residents, the community 
churches that dot our hills and hollows have also provided flood 
victims with moral and spiritual comfort to ease the pain of all that 
has been lost. Particularly hard hit in this flood, the people of 
Clendenin have received extensive and much-needed support from 
churches, neighbors, and other charitable organizations. After all of 
the floods of last year, it is uplifting to see that such strong 
community spirit yet endures among the Mountaineers of West Virginia. 
This year, as in previous years, volunteers, churches, and 
organizations like the Red Cross have risen above the flood waters of 
disaster to provide comfort and hope to their neighbors. I am reminded 
of the words of poet, essayist, and critic Matthew Arnold:

     Then, in such hour of need
     Of your fainting, dispirited race,
     Ye, like angels, appear,
     Radiant with ardour divine!
     Beacons of hope, ye appear!
     Langour is not in your heart,
     Weakness is not in your word,
     Weariness not on your brow.

  Surely, the concerned faces and helping hands of volunteers and 
church workers seemed divinely inspired to the flood victims who 
benefited from

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their tireless efforts. Mr. President, I offer my thanks to all of 
those individuals, congregations, and charitable organizations who 
respond with such compassion and energy when disaster strikes.

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