[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING PROFOUND GRATITUDE OF THE PEOPLE OF NORTH DAKOTA FOR 
                 OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT FROM THE COUNTRY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Dakota [Mr. Pomeroy] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, as North Dakota's sole Member of this body, 
I rise on behalf of the people of North Dakota to express the profound 
gratitude that we feel toward the outpouring of support demonstrated in 
this Chamber and across the country as North Dakotans deal with the 
unprecedented disasters that have afflicted our State, most 
particularly the city of Grand Forks.
  The city of Grand Forks, a city of 50,000, has established a 
benchmark in terms of flooding disasters for a community of this size. 
Never before have we seen a city of 50,000 so completely inundated, so 
completely devastated by a flooding river. The river in this case, the 
Red River of the North, which flows normally at 16 feet, maybe 15 feet 
on a summer afternoon, flood stage: 28 feet; the flooding waters of 54 
feet in depth ultimately reached the dikes and inundated this city. It 
was the flood of record. They are now saying a flood of 1,000-year-
event dimensions.
  As if the resulting inundation city-wide was not bad enough, fire 
broke out in the downtown business district, and as so many watched in 
the television footage of the event, a fire department who normally has 
water as its best ally in fighting flames was rendered powerless by the 
fact that they could not even get at the hydrants because they were 
literally under the flooding Red River water that was coursing through 
the streets of the town.
  Now as we deal with the aftermath of this unprecedented disaster, we 
have seen an outpouring of support from across this country that has 
truly touched us and gives us a great deal of assistance and moral 
support as well as financial support in moving forward to pick up the 
pieces and rebuild this community.
  Examples that have occurred just in my own experience include a 7-
year-old boy, who in his car noted that he was 2 years old when 
Hurricane Andrew devastated their family's home, brought by a box of 
food supplies for me to take to the people of Grand Forks. The shoe 
shop located in the base of the Longworth House Office Building has 
devoted 10 percent of its proceeds for 2 weeks on shoe repair to 
assisting the people of Grand Forks. Phil Jackson, famous coach of the 
Chicago Bulls basketball team; I am proud to say North Dakota native, 
graduate of the University of North Dakota, and he was a star for the 
Fighting Sioux basketball team, has agreed to cut a public service 
announcement which will inform people across the country of how they 
might help the people of Grand Forks recover from this disaster.
  Now, Mr. Speaker, at a time when the outpouring across the country 
has been so significant, I also want to let my colleagues know about 
the outpouring that has occurred across both parties within this 
Chamber at a time when people, I think, are very cynical in terms of 
whether we have a political system that can quit its partisan bickering 
long enough to respond to problems. We have seen exactly that occur 
within the past week.
  Five days after the dikes were breached, the President of the United 
States was there to encourage and comfort the flood victims with 
promises of additional assistance. Six days later the White House 
brings up to the Hill a supplemental assistance package. Six days after 
the dikes breached, Chairman Bob Livingston, the majority chairman of 
the Committee on Appropriations, had additional assistance inserted 
into the disaster supplemental bill being considered by the 
appropriations body. Not enough, not configured exactly how we want, 
but, as he indicated, more needs to be done, this is a work in process, 
the first crack we had in Congress to help the people of Grand Forks. 
Thanks to the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] they were 
assisted in action by his committee.
  A day later, the Speaker devoted a Friday evening that otherwise had 
been scheduled for familytime to come to North Dakota to see the 
devastation. I was very pleased to travel along with Speaker Gingrich, 
as well as the gentleman from South Dakota [Mr. Thune], the gentleman 
from Minnesota [Mr. Gutknecht], and the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. 
Ramstad], to visit with the people of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks 
and see the extent of the devastation. I am extraordinarily grateful to 
the Speaker and know that his presence in our area meant an awful lot 
to people as they deal with the unpleasant dimension of pumping out 
basements, assessing whether homes can be saved, and trying to pick up 
the pieces of their businesses.
  On Monday, just 2 days later, majority leader Dick Armey also came to 
North Dakota, bringing with him a number of our colleagues including 
the gentleman from California [Mr. Rogan], the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Kim], the gentleman from New York [Mr. Lazio], the 
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Souder], the gentlewoman from Kentucky 
[Mrs. Northup], and the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Sabo].

                              {time}  1815

  Again, both political parties, heavy representation from the majority 
leaders of this body, as well as the majority Members of this body, 
coming to our area to extend their concern and see how they could help.
  The people of North Dakota will never forget the conscientious 
extending of the hand of help and concern that occurred this week, and 
I am very proud to serve in this Chamber with the Members of both 
political parties that have shown how deeply they care and how much 
they want to help.

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