[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 100 (Thursday, July 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8951-S8952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO THE STATE AND PEOPLE OF FLORIDA FOR 
             LOSSES SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF WILD LAND FIRES

  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Environment and Public Works Committee be discharged from further 
consideration of H.R. 298 and the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       H. Con. Res. 298, expressing deepest condolences to the 
     State and people of Florida for the losses suffered as a 
     result of the wild land fires occurring in June and July 
     1998, expressing support to the State and people of Florida 
     as they overcome the effects of the fires, and commending the 
     heroic efforts of firefighters from across the Nation in 
     battling the fires.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the concurrent resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. MACK. Mr. President, I rise today to again address the ongoing 
situation in my home state of Florida. As I mentioned earlier this 
month on the Senate floor, devastating wildfires have ravaged Florida, 
imp;acting all of our 67 counties since May 24, 1998. Since this crisis 
began, more than 2,000 separate fires to date have been identified and 
more than 500,000 acres have been burned.
  The massive campaign which has been undertaken to contain these fires 
is encouraging. Firefighters from across the country have been part of 
this effort. On behalf of the state of Florida and its people, I would 
like to thank all of the states, communities, and families that have 
committed resources to these efforts.
  Today, I join with the Florida Congressional delegation in support of 
H. Con. Res. 298. This resolution expresses our condolences to the 
people of the state of Florida who have suffered throughout this 
ordeal; and commends the important and heroic efforts of the 
firefighters, as well as the numerous federal, state, and community 
entities aiding in the struggle to contain and extinguish the fires.
  I appreciate the work of my Senate colleagues who have enabled us to 
bring this resolution to the floor quickly. I hope this swift action by 
Congress will help bring attention to the continuing efforts of 
government and community leaders, and will help lift the spirits of 
those closely engaged in this battle. I thank the chair and I yield the 
floor.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. 
Res. 298, expressing our deepest condolences and support to the State 
and people of Florida for the losses they have suffered as a result of 
wild land fires that occurred throughout June and July of this year.
  Many of my colleagues will remember that Andrew roared ashore in the 
middle of the night and vented its fury on the people of South Florida. 
The storm severely disrupted the lives of thousands of families. This 
August, Floridians will remember Hurricane Andrew with another natural 
disaster on their minds. Since May 24, a deadly combination of intense 
heat and prolonged drought sparked more than 2,200 forest fires in 
Florida's 67 counties.
  Even for a state that is experienced in dealing with natural 
disasters, these fires have been spawned during what may be one of the 
worst years in Florida meteorological history. In late January and 
early February--in the midst of our state's dry season--several 
Northern Florida counties were deluged by massive floods. Not long 
after, parts of Central Florida were devastated by thunderstorms and 
tornadoes that are more typical in the summer months.
  The fire crisis is the latest example of our state's climactic 
reversal of fortune in 1998. Florida's hot summer temperatures are 
typically accompanied by afternoon thunderstorms and tropical weather. 
This year's heat and drought, and the lush undergrowth and foliage that 
sprung up in the wake of Florida's unusually wet winter, combined to 
fuel the fires that have put the state under a cloud of smoke and 
chased nearly 112,000 residents from their homes--7,040 of them into 
emergency shelters.
  Florida has sustained almost $300 million in private damage, and 
state and local governments have spent over $100 million in responding 
to the fires. In a step never before taken in Florida's long history 
with violent weather,

[[Page S8952]]

every one of the 45,000 residents of Flagler County--a coastal area 
between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach--had to be evacuated from their 
homes over the Independence Day weekend.
  Mr. President, Mother Nature has once again subjected Florida to 
unprecedented weather conditions. But with the memories of Andrew's 
aftermath still fresh in our minds, we know that the national response 
to our pleas for help is anything but unprecedented--and are moved by 
the immediacy of Americans' heartfelt offers of assistance.
  In response to this crisis, Americans from 44 states are fighting 
side-by-side with Floridians to prevent these fires from endangering 
families and engulfing even more homes, businesses, and roads. For 
example, U.S. Marines, National Guardsmen, and National Weather Service 
meteorologists from all over the country have converged on Florida.
  California, Oregon, and South Dakota--states whose residents are not 
strangers to violent weather and natural disasters--sent nearly 1300 
fire fighting personnel to Florida. North Carolina, a state that is 
even more heavily forested than my own, sent 47 fire trucks and 169 
firefighters to Florida. Pennsylvania, which lost more than 2,200 
citizens in less than ten minutes during the catastrophic Johnstown 
flood of 1889, has contributed 89 volunteers to combat this natural 
disaster in 1998. In fact, so many states have donated equipment that 
two-thirds of all the firefighting helicopters in the United States are 
now working in Florida.
  Mr. President, I have lived in Florida for more than sixty-one years. 
In that time, I have never observed wildfires as widespread and 
unmanageable as those that have plagued our state for the last forty-
four days. On behalf of 14 million Floridians, I offer my deepest 
thanks to the thousands of Americans who have voluntarily left their 
homes and risked their lives so that our state's fire victims might not 
lose theirs. They are true heroes, and all of us who proudly call 
Florida our home are forever in their debt.
  I am pleased to announce that the Herculean efforts of these brave 
firefighters were not in vain. Floridians who were forced from their 
homes have now returned, and almost all of the fires have been brought 
under control. Mr. President, I urge my colleagues in the Senate to 
support H. Con. Res. 298 to pay tribute to the citizens of Florida and 
those from around the nation who came to our assistance.
  Mr. SHELBY. I ask unanimous consent the concurrent resolution be 
agreed to, that the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, and statements relating to the resolution appear 
at this point in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 298) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.

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