[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 118 (Monday, September 27, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9695-S9696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FLORIDA'S HURRICANES

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I came here because, as most 
everybody in the country knows, an unusual meteorological phenomenon 
has occurred in my State where it has now been battered by four major 
hurricanes. Part of the State now has been battered in the same area--
namely, south of Orlando, southeast of Lakeland. In that area, it has 
been traversed now by hurricane strength winds from three hurricanes--
first Charley, then Frances, and now this last one. The third 
hurricane, Ivan, took off for a different part of the State. It hit 
west Florida in the Pensacola area, as well as eastern Alabama, with 
such force of not only 138 mile per hour winds but also with that surge 
of water called a tidal surge, which was so significant that it went 
all the way up Pensacola Bay and, in fact, lifted up sections of the 
Interstate 10 bridge--huge, heavy concrete sections--lifted it up by 
the pressure of that water and deposited it on the bottom of Pensacola 
Bay. That is the kind of force and fury of Mother Nature that has been 
visited upon my State. So what do we need to do? Well, there is one 
reason for the Federal Government, other than the protection of the 
national defense of this country, and that is also to provide during 
times of disaster.
  FEMA ran out of money several weeks ago. We came in here and we 
passed an emergency appropriations bill of $2 billion to try to fill up 
their coffers. But since then, we have passed several things appendaged 
to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, plus receiving several 
acknowledgements and commitments to, in particular, this Senator from 
Florida from the esteemed chairman of the Appropriations Committee of 
adding additional funds in the conference that is now occurring on the 
Department of Homeland Security funding bill.
  But as of yet, we have seen an appropriation request come from the 
White House that is just not going to solve the problem. For example, 
the Commissioner of Agriculture of Florida

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said that for the first two hurricanes, we are going to have $2 billion 
of losses just in agriculture. Yet all we have announced out of that $2 
billion requested by the Commissioner of Agriculture--who happens to be 
in the same party as the President--all we have seen is the Secretary 
of Agriculture offer a package that is only one quarter of what the 
Commissioner of Agriculture of Florida has asked for. That is just not 
going to do it.
  Since the first two hurricanes, we have been hit by a third hurricane 
and, a day ago, by a fourth hurricane. In that third hurricane, there 
is going to be a big loss of the cotton and peanut crops up in the 
panhandle. With the fourth, what was left of the citrus crop across 
central Florida is going to be all gone because these ferocious winds 
are going to drop to the ground any fruit that was remaining. This is 
an election year, but this should not be partisan.
  People are hurting and they need help, they need it now. I ask the 
White House, this administration, the Department of Agriculture, and 
all those myriad of agencies to come forward and help us. We need that 
help right now.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa is 
recognized.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, how much time am I allotted?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa has 19\1/2\ 
minutes.
  Mr. HARKIN. I thank the Chair.

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