[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 31, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S2876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE MINNESOTA TORNADOS

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I rise today to speak for a few 
minutes about the violent storms of this past weekend in south-central 
Minnesota and to express my concern for the many, many victims of this 
tragedy. Tornados and severe thunderstorms ripped through Minnesota 
Sunday evening, tearing through St. Peter, Hanska, and Lonsdale and 
forcing the evacuation of the small town of Comfrey.
  In the wake of the devastation, my thoughts and prayers go out to the 
people of south-central Minnesota. I would especially like to express 
my condolences to the families of Dustin Schneider, the young boy whose 
life was taken by the storm near St. Peter, and Louis Mosenden of 
Hanska, who died Monday as a result of injuries he suffered when a 
tornado hit his home. Our thoughts and prayers are with their loves 
ones.
  Mr. President, along a 60-mile path, hundreds of houses, factories, 
barns, silos, churches, and schools have been reduced to rubble. Most 
of the buildings in St. Peter were either destroyed or severely 
damaged. The smaller community of Comfrey was almost completely 
destroyed. Power is still out in both towns.
  In all, more than 700 houses and apartments were destroyed or damaged 
to the point that they are now uninhabitable. Another 1,800 have 
sustained severe damage. Thousands of residents have been forced to go 
seek public shelters or the homes of friends or relatives. More than 
100 businesses have been damaged in the area.
  Even with the massive damage, the initial response to this disaster 
by the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota 
relief agencies, and local law enforcement has been swift and 
efficient. Because of this quick response, and the cooperation we are 
seeing between state, local, and federal officials, I am confident 
south-central Minnesota will recover from this natural disaster. I 
intend to survey the area this weekend, after state and local officials 
have completed their damage assessments. My staff is already on the 
scene, and is meeting today with representatives of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency in St. Peter as they inspect the damage.
  Since first receiving word of the storms, I have been working closely 
with state and local officials to bring federal assistance to the 
region and begin the recovery efforts. I want to assure my constituents 
that the federal government will do whatever is needed to help the 
people of our state cope with the devastation. Minnesota Governor Arne 
Carlson today forwarded to President Clinton his formal request for a 
disaster declaration, and I have written to the President as well to 
reiterate the urgency of Governor Carlson's request.
  Mr. President, the people of Minnesota have faced disaster before. It 
was almost one year ago when the terrible spring floods swept through 
western Minnesota and devastated so many lives. We learned a lot about 
each other during the difficult months that followed, when it seemed 
the clean-up would never end and life would never be the same again. We 
were reminded what it means to be a community, and how communities come 
together during troubled times.
  With that experience fresh in mind, I know that Minnesotans will once 
step forward and help one another rebuild from this weekend's tornados. 
And I want the victims of this latest disaster to know that they will 
not be forgotten. 

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