[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 83 (Monday, June 16, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S5711]]
RECOGNITION OF CANDYLAND DAYCARE AND PRESCHOOL'S ASSISTANCE DURING THE 
                             FLOODS OF 1997

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity 
today to recognize the children of Candyland Daycare and Preschool in 
Rapid City, SD, in ongoing flood recovery efforts in the Dakotas.
  Early this year, residents of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South 
Dakota experienced relentless snowstorms and bitterly cold 
temperatures. Snowdrifts as high as buildings, roads with only one lane 
cleared, homes without heat for days, hundreds of thousands of dead 
livestock, and schools closed for a week at a time were commonplace. As 
if surviving the severe winter cold was not challenge enough, residents 
of the Upper Midwest could hardly imagine the extent of damage Mother 
Nature had yet to inflict with a 500-year flood. Record levels on the 
Big Sioux River and Lake Kampeska forced over 5,000 residents of 
Watertown, SD, to evacuate their homes and left over one-third of the 
city without sewer and water for 3 weeks. The city of Bruce, SD, was 
completely under water when record low temperatures turned swollen 
streams into sheets of ice.
  The 50,000 residents of Grand Forks, ND, and 10,000 residents of East 
Grand Forks, MN, were forced to leave their homes and businesses as the 
Red River overwhelmed their cities in April. The devastation was 
astounding; an entire city under water, and a fire that gutted a 
majority of Grand Forks' downtown. Residents of both cities recently 
were allowed to return to what is left of their homes, and the long and 
difficult process of rebuilding shattered lives is just beginning.
  The children of Candyland Daycare and Preschool in Rapid City have 
been collecting toys, books, and puzzles for North Dakota flood 
victims. Many families escaped rising flood waters in the dead of 
night, often with only the clothes on their back, and ultimately lost 
everything in their homes. The goods collected by these children will 
help families rebuild their lives. The preschoolers also sent colored 
cards and a note that read: ``Sorry to hear about the flood. Hope 
you'll be able to go home soon. Your South Dakota friends.''
  While those of us from the Midwest will never forget the destruction 
wrought by this year's floods, I have been heartened to witness 
firsthand and hear accounts of South Dakotans coming together within 
their community to protect homes, farms, and entire towns from rising 
flood waters. The selfless actions of the children at Candyland Daycare 
and Preschool illustrate the resolve within South Dakotans to help our 
neighbors in times of trouble.
  Mr. President, there is much more to be done to rebuild and repair 
Grand Forks and other impacted communities. The children at Candyland 
Daycare and Preschool in Rapid City illustrate how the actions of a 
community can bring some relief to the victims of this natural 
disaster, and I ask you to join me in thanking them for their selfless 
efforts.

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