[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H9175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           EFFECTS OF HURRICANE GEORGES ON THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christian-Green) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to 
join my colleagues in adding my commendations, gratitude and well-
wishes to the gentleman from Indiana (Lee Hamilton) and Mrs. Hamilton 
as he retires from this House.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise to inform the House of the relative good 
fortune fared by my constituents when the Virgin Islands was hit by 
Hurricane Georges last Monday. We are sure it is only through prayers 
and the grace of God that the storm downgraded from a category 4 to a 2 
before it passed over our islands, and the eye, which was to have 
traversed my home Island of St. Croix, shifted and instead passed 
between the islands. Thus we were spared the widespread devastation 
suffered by many of our neighboring Caribbean islands.
  By all accounts, the Virgin Islands and Virgin Islanders responded 
well to the challenges presented to us by Hurricane Georges. As of 
midday last Wednesday morning, less than 48 hours after Georges, life 
was almost back to normal on the island of St. Thomas. Although we were 
and still have power outages, the resilient island of St. Croix has 
held its own. We suffered no deaths directly attributable to the storm 
and no major injuries on any of our islands.
  Despite the fact that over all the islands only suffered mild damage, 
we must not forget that there are those individuals who suffered 
significant damage to their homes and businesses. Some hotels and shops 
suffered minor damages, but most have remained intact and open for 
business. Crop and fruit farmers suffered total losses, and livestock 
farmers and fishermen were also severely affected. Many public 
buildings suffered moderate damage and curtailed services, but our 
hospitals and health department facilities stood up well and no 
services were disrupted there.
  Mr. Speaker, while I rise tonight to give thanks for our good fortune 
in the Virgin Islands, I must also ask my colleagues to continue to 
pray and support the people of the other Caribbean islands, as well as 
the residents of South Florida and the Gulf Coast, who were not as 
lucky as we were.
  On our sister U.S. island of Puerto Rico, at least three people were 
directly killed by the storm and damages surpassed nearly $2 billion. 
Likewise, in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, over 300 persons have 
been reported dead and damages have been estimated in excess of $1 
billion.
  I look forward to joining our First Lady and my other colleagues 
tomorrow to view firsthand their damages and early recovery efforts and 
to bring the prayers, support and good wishes of this House, as well as 
of their sisters and brothers from my district and the U.S. Virgin 
Islands.
  While we must express our concern and extend aid to the residents of 
the larger Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and 
Haiti, we must not forget our smaller neighbors to the south, like 
Antigua and St. Kitts, which also suffered serious devastation from 
Georges. On Antigua, two persons lost their lives and hundreds of homes 
lost their roofs. Similarly devastated was St. Kitts, where 3 persons 
were reported dead and 85 percent of the homes on the island were 
reported damaged. The residents of these smaller islands also need our 
help.
  Mr. Speaker, I must also thank director of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, James Lee Witt, and his entire Washington 
headquarters and Virgin Islands field office staff for the opportunity 
to participate in all of the relevant briefings and for their 
immeasurable assistance in keeping us informed of the status of the 
storm and the extent of the damage we suffered once the storm had 
passed.
  On this latter point, I want to particularly thank Barbara Russell of 
FEMA and her team who rode out the storm in the Virgin Islands and 
provided early information as well as critical help in damage 
assessment and coordination of the initial response. Special 
commendations to Colonel Gene Walker, his assistant, Elroy Harrison, 
the entire VITEMA staff and Emergency Service Coordinating Team for 
their preparation and response, and to the hundreds of volunteers who 
gave up their time to help. We especially thank President Clinton for 
his immediate response to our request for disaster assistance, and he 
and Mrs. Clinton for their concern, as well as the Members of his 
cabinet.
  One of the most difficult aspects of experiencing a hurricane is not 
being able to obtain information about an affected area when long 
distance phone service has been disrupted, as it was in our case. I 
especially want to thank my Washington office staff for their tireless 
work in keeping Virgin Islanders and others here on the mainland 
informed on how their relatives and friends in the islands were faring.
  My Washington office was open around the clock from the point when we 
were certain on Monday the 21st that we were going to be hit and for 72 
hours afterward. In addition to fielding telephone calls, we were 
pleased to be able to inform business people, students, friends and 
relatives of Virgin Islanders viewing the storm via mainland media 
through press conferences and interviews on TV and radio, as well as 
providing the most reliable information through several Internet 
sources, including our own web site. I also want to thank the many 
Virgin Islanders who came to my office to assist.
  Mr. Speaker, the Virgin Islands is a testament to the effectiveness 
of mitigation, for without the many improvements made in the wake of 
the major storms of the last nine years, we would not have been able to 
bounce back. We still have work to be done and that needs to be 
addressed.
  Today the Virgin Islands are back, businesses are open and we welcome 
you. Our hotels, our beaches, our tropical breezes and the warm 
hospitality of our people welcome you back to our shores.

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