[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 111 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HURRICANE KATRINA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ANDER CRENSHAW

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 8, 2005

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my appreciation 
for the thousands of emergency personnel who continue to work 
tirelessly to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected by 
Hurricane Katrina. The devastation caused by this hurricane is epic and 
we are only beginning to learn of the total destruction it caused. Yet, 
in the face of enormous adversity, thousands of Americans put their own 
lives on the line to help their fellow Americans in need.
  These individuals worked themselves into exhaustion both mentally and 
physically. Without their sacrifice, thousands more Americans would 
have lost their lives from this devastating storm. Mirroring September 
11, 2001, local first responders were once again on the front lines.
  None of us shall soon forget the images of our brave men and women 
who serve in the United States Coast Guard. This disaster brought a new 
meaning to the term ``search and rescue.'' Petty Officer Eric Sciubba 
arrived in New Orleans Monday and said crewmembers found themselves 
trying rescue techniques never before attempted. Replacing Scuba gear 
with axes, Americas' ``Coasties'' found themselves chopping through 
roof tops to reach trapped victims.
  At one particular house, Petty Officer Sciubba found an invalid woman 
in even more peril than most in New Orleans. Her feeding tube had 
stopped working, and Sciubba found her in bed on her home's first 
floor, with her head barley sticking above water. The helicopter 
couldn't reach the stranded couple through the back yard, and with the 
front door locked, Sciubba knew that time was their number one enemy. 
Finally, the man inside the house was able to get the door unlocked and 
both individuals were brought to safety. This couple was among the 109 
people Petty Officer Sciubba's crew pulled from disaster to safety 
before returning to Ellington Field on Thursday.
  And that is just one of the hundreds of incredible rescues made by 
the Coast Guard.
  We certainly will not forget the sacrifice made by the tens of 
thousands of National Guard, many of whom recently returned or are soon 
being deployed to Iraq, who sacrificed their precious time with family 
and loved ones to help those in need and return order to a city in 
chaos.
  America has faced many challenges in its history and Hurricane 
Katrina will be written as one of its greatest. Yet once again, this 
great country will meet and overcome this latest challenge and will 
triumph in the face of adversity. This great Nation of ours will once 
again show the world its courage, conviction and will to overcome.

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