[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 3 (Thursday, January 29, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ICE STORM 1998

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, winter is only half over, and even 
though there has been some stormy weather here in the Nation's Capital, 
sections of the Northeast experienced the ice storm of the century, 
maybe the millennium, earlier this month. For 2 days straight, freezing 
rain, snow and sleet battered the Champlain Valley of Vermont, upstate 
New York and parts of New Hampshire, Maine and the Province of Quebec.
  Tens of thousands of trees buckled and shattered under the stress and 
weight of several inches of ice that coated their branches. Power lines 
were ripped down by falling branches and the weight of the ice, leaving 
hundreds of thousands of people without electricity for days and even 
weeks. In fact, some are still without electricity. Roads were covered 
with ice and rivers swelled and overflowed with heavy rain. The 
crippling ice storm brought activity in the area to a grinding halt.
  Just a few days after the storm, Senator Leahy and I visited the 
hardest hit areas of Vermont. The storm's damages were the worst I have 
ever seen. In the Burlington area, 20 to 25 percent of the trees in 
that city were toppled or must be chopped down. Another 25 percent were 
damaged. The storm also destroyed sugar bushes and dropped trees across 
hiking trails and snowmobile trails.
  Mr. President, local and State emergency officials acted quickly to 
help their fellow Vermonters and to assess the damage. Soon after the 
storm, the President declared six Vermont counties a disaster. The 
response from FEMA was impressive, and I thank Director James Witt for 
standing behind Vermont.
  Vermonters rallied, with the help of the National Guard, led by 
Adjutant General Martha Rainville, to help themselves and their 
neighbors.
  As the temperatures dropped below zero days after the storm, with 
thousands still without power, volunteer firefighters, police officers 
and National Guard troops and every able-bodied citizen came together 
working day and night to help feed, heat and care for the people in 
their community.
  Hardest hit were dairy farmers. Already struggling to make ends meet 
due to low milk prices, the ice storm left farms without power to milk 
their cows. Cows need to be milked twice a day every day. At times, 
cows went for hours and even days without being milked. Fortunately one 
of the missions of the National Guard was to get power generators to 
farms and to keep them running so that farmers could milk their cows 
and keep their milk cool and preserve the health of the cows.
  One unit of the National Guard became known as the ``Mobile Milking 
Team''--or the MMT, as is usual in the military sector to have 
acronyms--by going farm to farm with their generators. However, despite 
the efforts to bring generators to farmers, for many the damage was 
already done. Because the margins are already so close for many 
farmers, the loss of a single milk check could mean staying in business 
or selling out.
  Mr. President, the organized and volunteer responses to this disaster 
were incredible. The Vermont Petroleum Association, in conjunction with 
Mobile Oil and R.L. Vallee Petroleum, came to the aid of the farmers 
and the homeowners who were relying on their generators to run their 
businesses and to heat their homes by graciously donating 8,000 gallons 
of diesel fuel.
  Stories of Vermonters helping Vermonters were commonly told 
throughout the disaster counties in the State. Utility companies worked 
long hours in the cold to help clear debris and restore power. Lines 
men and women came from as far away as Hawaii to help repair the 
damage. Let me tell you, the ones from Hawaii had an adventure they 
will never forget.
  Vermonters also helped their neighbors to the north just across the 
Canadian border. Two weeks after the storm first hit, over 700,000 
citizens in the Providence of Quebec were still without power and over 
30,000 people were relying on meals from local food shelves. I teamed 
up with Cabot Creamery and H.P. Hood to help get 20,000 pounds of 
cheddar cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese and 1,000 cases of water so 
necessary through the many restrictions at the border to help feed the 
Canadians who were driven from their homes. Many Vermonters helped by 
sending firewood and heating oil. Thousands of cords of wood were 
shipped over.
  Mr. President, the citizens and trees of Vermont as well as upstate 
New York, Maine and New Hampshire have suffered enough from this storm. 
Local and State assistance will help communities and individuals get 
back on their feet. But Federal relief is needed to ensure that the 
disaster areas are not overwhelmed by their recovery.
  I know I speak for Senator Leahy and my colleagues from New York, 
Maine and New Hampshire when I say we all will do what we can to help. 
We look forward to the coming spring. But before the arrival of warm 
weather, months of hard work to restore Vermont to its pristine beauty 
is needed. And we will all be helping, I assure you.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  Mrs. HUTCHISON addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I would like to check on the status. I 
believe that under a previous order I have 30 minutes reserved. Is that 
correct?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Thank you, Mr. President.

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