[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 7, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2144-H2145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO PAUL FACCHINA, AN EXTRAORDINARY CITIZEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, a week and a day ago, Charles County, Calvert 
County, and Dorchester County in Maryland were hit by a tornado. Mr. 
Speaker, I rise today to bring to your attention a truly remarkable 
individual from my district who is helping us respond to that tornado.
  As you know, Southern Maryland was recently devastated by what is 
believed to be the second most powerful tornado ever to hit the East 
Coast. It is tough times like these, Mr. Speaker, that brings out the 
best of what America has to offer, for those who have lost a great deal 
themselves rise to the occasion to help others who are in need.
  Mr. Paul Facchina is a tremendous example of one such extraordinary 
person who heads up a company peopled by extraordinary individuals. Mr. 
Facchina owns and operates Facchina Construction in LaPlata, Maryland. 
That small town in Charles County completely lost 48 businesses in the 
matter of minutes that the tornado took to pass through. Lawyers' 
offices, banks, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, grocery 
stores, a lumber yard, all destroyed.
  Mr. Paul Facchina's company was among those that were decimated, and 
he has every intention of rebuilding a

[[Page H2145]]

brand new headquarters, which he happened to have already planned just 
across the street from the one that was destroyed. And though he and 
his employees are busy finalizing plans for the new building, while at 
the same time cleaning up the old, he did not forget about those other 
businesses in LaPlata that were destroyed and put out of business.

                              {time}  1915

  Instead, Facchina Construction began work on a ``temporary town 
center'' just hours after the powerful F5 tornado ripped through the 
county.
  Recognizing the devastation that loss of customers could mean to his 
neighboring small businesses, Paul Facchina acted quickly to create a 
2-acre home for them on company property in the center of LaPlata's 
business district. This temporary town center will consist of 21 office 
trailers, complete with utilities and a paved parking lot to 
accommodate any LaPlata business that was displaced by the tornado. On 
Friday after Congress adjourned, I was on the Facchina construction 
site. It was amazing what they had done in the 4 days since the tornado 
hit, plumbing being installed, pads being prepared.
  And what does Mr. Facchina ask for in return for his generosity, the 
generosity of his company and his people? Nothing more than what a 
business can afford to pay. If they are not doing any business because 
they have been blown out of the water, so to speak, they will not pay 
anything. Otherwise, they will pay a commensurate lease.
  Facchina Construction is no stranger to disaster response. The 
company was on site at the Pentagon on September 11, and crews were 
involved in the subsequent rescue and recovery of people in the 
Pentagon. Facchina headed up the restoration of the damage to the 
Pentagon and recently completed the project 3\1/2\ months ahead of 
schedule. They made it clear to the world that we have healed our 
physical wounds and are moving ahead with the business of this country.
  Mr. Speaker, there are those who say that capitalism inevitably 
creates a dog-eat-dog world in which only the strong survive. Mr. 
Speaker, I offer to them the example of Facchina Construction and Mr. 
Paul Facchina. In a time of turmoil, we rely on people like this to 
remind us what America is about and to tell those whose lives have been 
turned upside down that everything will be okay.
  The author said in a ``Tale of Two Cities'': ``It was the best of 
times, it was the worst of times.'' Sunday, 7 p.m. a week ago was the 
worst of times in LaPlata, Maryland. We lost five people to that 
tornado; but Paul Facchina and his people and neighbors, neighbors who 
had been hit by the tornado, neighbors whose houses had been spared, 
businesses hit by the tornado came out into the streets right after 
that tornado passed to help their neighbors, help their community say 
that they were not going to be defeated by nature, as we have not been 
defeated by terrorists.
  Mr. Speaker, we all owe a debt of gratitude to these courageous 
people.

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