[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8737-S8738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNITION OF MAYOR BRENDA BARGER OF WATERTOWN, SD

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity 
today to recognize the important work of Mayor Brenda Barger in leading 
the residents of Watertown, SD, through winter storms and flooding.
  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 headline 
of the Watertown Public Opinion on April 6 read ``Watertown in Peril,'' 
and I will never forget the image of homeowners and neighbors, shrouded 
in a late-season snow storm, sandbagging against the rising waters of 
the Big Sioux River and Lake Kampeska.
  Brenda Barger held Watertown together with her strength and 
direction. Some 6 weeks prior to major flooding which began on April 4, 
Mayor Barger initiated efforts to try and minimize the impact of the 
impending disaster. Mayor Barger brought together local and county 
officials, volunteer agencies including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, 
and others, to brainstorm and compile resource lists of expected needs 
including equipment, people, and funds.
  Despite careful planning, on April 5, an unexpected blizzard hit the 
State, devastating the area. Everything froze, creating further 
concerns about what was going to happen once the water began flowing 
again. Mayor Barger camped out in the city's impromptu crisis center 
around the clock and helped to direct the efforts of a number of local 
volunteers, prisoners, and National Guard personnel. Mother Nature 
caused Mayor Barger to make a number of difficult decisions immediately 
following the April storm, including ordering the evacuation of nearly 
5,000 residents, or one-fourth the population, of Watertown and the 
shutdown of the water treatment plant at Lake Kampeska. In the 
following days, Mayor Barger secured over 750 port-a-potties and 
deployed them on the lawns of those families who could return to their 
homes. Water trucks were brought in to provide people with a fresh 
water supply, and Mayor Barger oversaw repairs to the water treatment 
plant which were completed ahead of schedule.
  While those of us from the Midwest will never forget the destruction 
wrought by this year's floods, I have been heartened to witness first-
hand and hear accounts of South Dakotans coming together within their 
community to protect homes, farms, and entire towns from rising flood 
waters. Mayor Brenda Barger truly exemplifies the role of a public 
servant, who, in the face of unimaginable natural destruction, placed 
the needs of an entire community ahead of personal concern. Now, Mayor 
Barger is spearheading efforts by Watertown residents to fully repair 
the damage from this past year and plan for future emergencies.
  Mr. President, there is much more to be done to rebuild and repair 
impacted communities. Mayor Brenda Barger illustrates how the actions 
of an individual can bring some relief to the victims of this natural 
disaster. I ask you to join me in thanking her for her selfless efforts 
and congratulate her on being

[[Page S8738]]

recognized during the National Association of Towns and Townships 
convention in Washington, DC, this week.

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