[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 35 (Monday, March 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S1741]]
                          HEROES OF THE STORM

 Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, it is with great pride that I come 
before my colleagues today to pay tribute to the many brave Georgians 
who pulled together to support one another in the aftermath of the 
devastating tornadoes that hit Southwest Georgia earlier this month. In 
the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's day, February 14th, the town of 
Camilla, Georgia was hit by a series of brutal tornadoes that took the 
lives of nearly twenty people. This storm caused not only terrible 
damage--destroying homes, farms and businesses--but it tested the 
limits of residents across the Southwest portion of the state. It has 
been said that ``Poor is the nation which has no heroes. Poorer still 
is the nation which has them, but forgets.'' When the storm calmed, 
true heroes emerged and they should be recognized.
  I ask that I may be able to insert into the Congressional Record a 
list of individuals, organizations, and area businesses that made all 
the difference in preparing the people of Mitchell, Grady, Colquitt, 
and Tift counties for recovery from this tragic event. This list 
reflects only a portion of the many groups and individuals who reached 
out to our communities in their time of need. There are others who are 
often lost in the shuffle, whose movements and actions did not attract 
the media's spotlight. From the children who donated their own toys, to 
the families who reached into their savings, to the people who opened 
their doors for relatives or strangers who needed a place to find 
refuge.
  The people and groups mentioned in this insert are not well known. 
These are everyday people--everyday Georgians. Individually, they each 
make a small contribution, collectively they make a tremendous 
difference.
  The list follows:

       Governor Roy Barnes and the Georgia Legislature; Law 
     Enforcement officials from Mitchell, Colquitt, Tift, and 
     Grady Counties; Chatam County Emergency Management; Mitchell 
     County Community Response Team; Mitchell County Chamber of 
     Commerce; Calhoun County Public Works; C-E Minerals Inc. in 
     Andersonville; Mitchell County Ministerial Alliance of 
     Camilla; Lions Club; Search and rescue teams from Albany/
     Dougherty, Macon, Colquitt, and Worth Counties; United States 
     Marine Corps; MCLB Fire and Rescue; Georgia K-9 Rescue 
     Association; University of Georgia Department of Student 
     Affairs; Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA).
       Georgia Emergency Management Association (GEMA); U.S. Small 
     Business Administration; Georgia State Highway Patrol; 
     Georgia Legal Services; Georgia Department of Labor; Georgia 
     Department of Family and Children's Services; American Red 
     Cross; United Way; Salvation Army; Mitchell County Hospital; 
     Phoebe-Putney Hospital; Homebuilders Association of Georgia; 
     Lowes in Albany; Home Depot in Albany; Adventists Disaster 
     Response; Fort Benning Air Force Command Center; Randolph 
     Southern School; Dry Bank Elementary School; USS Maryland 
     SSBN-738 Gold; Dothan Fire Department; Church of Gainesville; 
     Camilla Lawn and Garden; The Mennonites.
       Georgia Baptist Convention Relief Organization; United 
     Methodist Church of Centreville and Macon; Emmanuel Baptist 
     Church of James County; Chestnut Grove Baptist Church; Pitts 
     Chapel United Methodist Church of Macon; Plainfield Baptist 
     Church; Turner County Special Services School; United 
     Methodist Mission Volunteers from Tallahassee, Florida, Lee 
     United Methodist Church, Ebenezer UNC, and Macon Methodist 
     Church; Griffin Church; Chapel Wood United Church of Athens; 
     Zion Hill Baptist Church of Atlanta; Antioch Baptist Church 
     of North Atlanta; County Line Church of Macon.
       Waukeenah Methodist Church of Cairo; Calvary Baptist 
     Church; First Baptist of Tifton; Beulah Baptist Church of 
     Camilla; First United Methodist Church of Camilla; East 
     Pelham Baptist Church; First Baptist Church of Camilla; First 
     Baptist Church of Eufala, Alabama; Southern Baptist Group of 
     Georgia; Union Baptist Church of Camilla; and First United 
     Methodist Church of Thomasville.

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