[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 124 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6697-H6698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HELP FOR FIGHTING FIRES

  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, over the last several months we have seen 
the terrible fires that have hit Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, 
and other parts of the country. We are feeling the impact of the 
droughts. But now the fires have hit the Los Angeles area, and over the 
past several weeks we have had what was known as the Curve fire burn 
over 20,000 acres, and right now, the Williams fire, which started 5 
o'clock Sunday afternoon, has hit the Angeles National Forest, the 
number one most-used national forest, national park in the country. We 
have had many structures damaged.
  I would like to congratulate the President and thank him for the fact 
that we are going to, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency,

[[Page H6698]]

have reimbursement to those who are fighting the fire. I also want to 
say that our challenge will be dealing with reseeding which, as we face 
the rains that will hit come this winter, the mudslides can have an 
even more devastating impact.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are on the frontline 
fighting these fires, and we look forward to a quick resolution.

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