[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 3, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       PROMISES MEAN NOTHING TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO PLACE TO LIVE

  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, it is now day 12, 12 days since Congress 
recessed without taking action on the disaster supplemental 
appropriations bill. It is the sixth week since an absolutely 
devastating flood, a flood of 1,000-year proportion, hit Grand Forks 
and inundated North Dakota's second largest city, a city of 50,000 
people.
  One of the things that as we saw the footage broadcast throughout 
this country and, in fact, across the world, as you looked at literally 
a city steeped in the Red River water, it was a horrible visage. But 
one of the things that I think we perhaps could not fully appreciate as 
we watched that horrible site and saw the fires ravaging the downtown 
in the middle of this floodwater is the extent of damage occurring in 
each and every structure that had that floodwater in it.
  During the 12 days since Congress recessed I spent a good deal of 
that time in Grand Forks. The stories that I heard directly from the 
people impacted from this flood were among the most moving I have heard 
from anyone.
  What I believe Congress failed to realize as it recessed and went 
home without taking action was that it left literally thousands of 
people in the area I represent utterly in limbo.
  Some have suggested that the disaster did not need prompt attention, 
FEMA is operating, SBA is operating, the programs are in the pipeline 
chugging along happily, providing all the disaster relief anyone could 
ever require. That is simply wrong; they are simply wrong. In fact, the 
disaster bill hung up in conference committee contains in one of its 
most essential parts $500 million of community development block 
grants. This funding is literally the linchpin of the Grand Forks' 
recovery effort because it will provide the funding for the expanded 
floodway, it will provide the buyouts that will purchase the homes in 
the floodway, giving their owners the capital they need to get on with 
planning where they are going to live next; do they build, do they buy? 
Whatever. Without that community development block grant funding, 
without the assurance, and the commitment of those resources to our 
area, people are utterly on hold.
  Imagine having your home in the floodway, but with the city unable to 
determine exactly what funding will be available for home buyout 
purchase, the city cannot tell you whether or not to repair your home. 
Now your home has got about $20,000 or $30,000 worth of damage, and 
this is the case of hundreds of homes. You do not know whether to put 
in $20,000 or $30,000; you already lost most of your life's investment 
in the equity of your home. You do not know whether to put in that 
money without knowing whether you might be bought out and forced to 
move within a year again anyway. And so you wait, as hundreds of 
families are waiting in Grand Forks each and every day of the 12 days 
that Congress went out on recess without taking action. Your children 
may be living with grandparents or relatives, other relatives, maybe 
friends. Your family may be scattered. You may be commuting 90 miles 
one way to work because you do not have a place to live, and Congress 
recesses.
  And during the recess, Mr. Speaker, Members traveled all over the 
world enjoying their time away from legislative business. Well, the 
people in Grand Forks would have liked to have taken time away from 
their business, their business of trying to pull themselves out of the 
floodwater and the mud of the Red River and get on with their 
productive lives. But they could not do it, and the reason they could 
not do it is because this bill was hung up in conference committee.
  There was a tremendous constructive, bipartisan effort in building a 
good disaster bill. I personally have stood here on the floor of the 
House and expressed my appreciation to the Speaker, to the majority 
leader and to the other Members, both in the majority and the minority, 
who have worked together to build such a meaningful relief package to 
our area. But it does not do any good if it is not passed. Simple as 
that.
  Mr. Speaker, deed is in the enacting and getting the resources 
available. Promises at this point mean nothing to people who have got 
no place to live.

                              {time}  1900

  The conference committee reconvenes tomorrow. It is my urgent hope 
and request of the conferees that, as they come back into session, 
remember those in the flood-ravished areas I represent, put politics 
aside, and get about the business of getting people the help they so 
desperately need.

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