[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 136 (Friday, October 2, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THANKING THE HEROES OF THE STORM OF '98

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES T. WALSH

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 2, 1998

  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, this past Labor Day my home district endured 
one of the most furious storms ever to assault Central New York. A 
violent line of thunderstorms, which the National Weather Service calls 
a ``derecho,'' began their attack just after one o'clock in the 
morning. With swirling winds surpassing one hundred miles an hour, 
Mother Nature unleashed her wrath--ripping roofs off buildings, 
smashing trees against houses, snapping telephone poles and leaving a 
path of desolate neighborhoods and a fractured infrastructure.
  As the gusts finally deteriorated into breezes and the rain subsided, 
the members of the Central New York community showed their true spirit. 
People helped one another remove the debris from their yards and 
newspapers were full of stories about neighborhood heroes. But there is 
a group of ``professional'' heroes, too--the utility workers, telephone 
linemen, postal workers, the National Guard, fire fighters, local 
police and state, county, city and town public works crews. Not to 
mention the ``official'' heroes, those elected representatives of the 
people who did their jobs with the energy and skill we always expect. 
Emergency workers from all municipalities and members of the New York 
Air and Army National Guard emerged to aid those in need. New York 
Governor George Pataki, Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro and 
Syracuse Mayor Roy Bernardi took immediate action to guarantee a rapid 
recovery for all affected. Working in conjunction with utility company 
crews on loan from all over New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maine, New 
Jersey and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the members of 
local fire and police departments, emergency and medical personnel and 
employees of local telephone and cable companies as well as the Niagara 
Mohawk Power Corporation toiled for countless hours to restore power 
and phone service.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud of my office's role in working with Federal 
Emergency Management Agency Director James Witt to mitigate the 
aftershock of this disaster. Indeed we were on the phone within eight 
hours of the end of the storm and FEMA responded quickly and 
professionally. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending those who 
contributed their sweat, tears and labor to the recovery effort in 
Central New York during this time of crisis.

                          ____________________