[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 156 (Saturday, November 8, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S12191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HEROES SHINE IN NORTH DAKOTA FLOOD

 Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I rise today to draw the Senate's 
attention to some truly remarkable people, people whose work speaks 
volumes about what special people North Dakotans are.
  As my colleagues in the Senate are well aware, one of the Nation's 
worst weather-related disasters this year was the devastating flooding 
in Grand Forks, ND, and the entire Red River Valley. This historic 
flood captured the attention of the Nation in late spring as over 95 
percent of the residents of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks were 
evacuated from their homes and much of North Dakota's second largest 
city's downtown district was ravaged by fire and water.
  History will have a dramatic record of the loss and devastation of 
the flood. The hardship and heartbreak endured by so many of our 
friends and neighbors will be forever etched into our memory.
  But this year has also shown that North Dakota is a State blessed 
with wonderful and resilient people, and with real-life heroes. It's 
often said that difficult times bring out the best in people, and that 
certainly was the case in North Dakota. So now that a few months have 
passed since the waters have subsided, I would like to take a moment to 
reflect back on some of the many heroes, people that stepped up when 
their community needed them, whose efforts shined in the midst of the 
rising waters.
  In a disaster, maintaining a working communication system is critical 
in fighting back and preserving the safety of those in the area. Today, 
I would like to recognize the efforts of several US West Communications 
employees who worked tirelessly to maintain critical telephone service 
to the Grand Forks area throughout the flooding.
  On April 19, 1997, before the flooding hit Grand Forks, a crew of 
nine central office technicians barricaded themselves into the US West 
building in the heart of the city to keep the area's communication 
systems up and running during the disaster. Their extensive preventive 
work to prepare for the flooding would soon be tested as the waters 
rushed into town. As the entire city was evacuated, their building was 
surrounded by 4 feet of water, and sat just one block away from a 
raging fire. But these brave men and women hung in and sustained phone 
service, service which was essential to the rescue and recovery efforts 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Aviation 
Administration, State and local emergency workers, and so many others 
in the flooded region.
  To give you an idea of the challenges facing each of these brave 
heroes, they labored alone, night and day to keep the wires dry as 26 
inches of water threatened basement cables. Sustained by the food, 
clothing, and cots delivered via boat by the National Guard, these 
folks stayed on in a flooded town whose entire population had been 
ordered to leave. Armed with only high-volume pumps, drying machines, 
and sandbags, these courageous people kept the communications system 
working.
  These heroes deserve to be recognized by name for their dedicated 
service. The members of the initial emergency team were: Denny Braaten, 
Linda Potucek, Larry McNamara, Bob Schrader, Dan Kaiser, Dale Andrews, 
Glenda Wiess, Rick Hokenson, and Lew Ellingson.
  Two days later, US West reinforcements arrived to provide additional 
support and hard work. I would like to recognize these workers now: Don 
Jordan, Ray Jacobsen, Tim Kennedy, Roger Jones, Bruce Bengston, Gary 
Boser, Jim Falconer, Bion McNulty, Jack Olson, and Tim Rogers.
  These people, along with the many others who volunteered and continue 
the rebuilding effort today, are part of the story of this year's flood 
that doesn't get told nearly enough, of people helping their neighbors 
in extremely hard circumstances, and of extraordinary acts of heroism 
performed by everyday people.
  I can't express my admiration enough.

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