[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5542-H5544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
       EXPRESSING SYMPATHY TO THE CITIZENS OF GREENSBURG, KANSAS

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 400) expressing the sympathy of the House of 
Representatives to the citizens of Greensburg, Kansas, over the 
devastating tornado of May 4, 2007.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 400

       Whereas on the evening of Friday, May 4, 2007, a tornado 
     struck the community of Greensburg, Kansas;
       Whereas this tornado was classified as an EF-5, the 
     strongest possible type, with winds estimated at 205 miles 
     per hour;
       Whereas 9 lives were lost;
       Whereas approximately 95 percent of Greensburg was 
     destroyed, causing over 1,500 residents to be displaced from 
     their homes; and
       Whereas the strength, courage, and determination of the 
     citizens of Greensburg, Kansas, have been evident following 
     the tornado: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses its deepest sympathies to the citizens of 
     Greensburg, Kansas, over the devastation caused by the 
     powerful tornado that struck the community on May 4, 2007; 
     and
       (2) expresses its support as the citizens of Greensburg 
     continue their efforts to rebuild their community and their 
     lives.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) and the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 400.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on May 4, 2007, life in the close-knit community of 
Greensburg, Kansas, changed forever. At approximately 9:45 p.m. central 
time, a massive tornado all but destroyed the Kansas town of 
Greensburg, Kansas, located in south central Kansas, east of Dodge 
City, Kansas. The tornado was classified as an EF-5, a large and 
extremely dangerous mile-wide tornado with winds up to 205 miles per 
hour.
  The 20-minute warning time was reasonable, but the tornado was so 
destructive that nine people in Greensburg unfortunately died, and 95 
percent of the town was damaged or destroyed. While the infrastructure 
damage is crushing, citizens of Greensburg have refused to let this 
incident crush their spirit, hope and determination. Resilience is the 
watchword, and rebuilding is the daily driving force.
  We're here today as representatives of all the citizens of this great 
Nation to express our sympathy to the residents of Greensburg for this 
tragedy of historic proportions. More importantly, we stand in support 
for the citizens of Greensburg as they heal their families and rebuild 
their community.
  I stand here in support of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, to the gentleman from Maryland, I'm very grateful for 
his support and for his help in bringing this legislation to the House 
floor today.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 400, which I introduced along with my 
fellow colleagues from Kansas. It does express the sympathy of the 
House of Representatives for the loss of life and the tremendous 
property damage to a community in my district of a population of about 
1,500.
  The tornado occurred at about 10 p.m. on Friday evening, May 4, now a 
little more than 2 weeks ago. It was an F-5 tornado, one of the most 
powerful tornados to strike the United States in more than 8 years. It 
was fortunate that the people of Greensburg had a 20-minute warning, 
that the National Weather Service performed its function. An emergency 
was declared, and people had 20 minutes to try to save their families' 
lives and to move to safety.
  My guess is that that 20 minutes went by in a flash. Mr. Speaker, 
while 20 minutes may go by in a flash, I'm sure that the 2 minutes that 
the tornado was on the ground went by very, very slowly. It was an 
eternity. In that 20 minutes of warning, people did what they could do. 
In that 2 minutes, at least the buildings of the community were 
destroyed; 205-mile-an-hour winds can do great damage.
  Mr. Speaker, we in Kansas are accustomed from time to time to 
tornados, but never have I seen the devastation and destruction that 
occurs to one community. The losses are significant. Certainly our 
prayers and support are with the families of those 10 individuals who 
died that night, but 95 percent of the town is gone. There is no high 
school. There is no grade school. There is no city hall. There is no 
hospital. There is no library. The entire business district, six or 
seven blocks of a business district in the county seat town, not a 
business remains.
  Sixty-three people were injured, and while faced with such 
destruction, I've been to Greensburg seven times in the last 2 weeks, I 
have seen nothing but the sense of spirit about rebuilding lives. You 
can stand in front of a home that is totally destroyed and listen to 
the people there sorting through the rubble, trying to find something 
of value, and when you have a conversation with them, it doesn't take 
long before a smile appears on their face and they talk about how 
things could be worse than they are, how we're better off than our 
neighbors, how we'll get through this.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, in what is truly a time of devastation, it's 
also truly a

[[Page H5543]]

time of hope. And what we saw in Kansas that night and every day since 
reaffirms my belief in the value of caring for your family, love and 
compassion for your neighbor, that your community matters, and a sense 
that together we can get through this.
  I'm proud, Mr. Speaker, to see the tremendous support that comes from 
across the country. Many Members of the House of Representatives have 
stopped to visit with me. Many ambassadors and Presidents of foreign 
countries have sent notes of condolences and concern. And I appreciate 
that President Bush came to Greensburg, Kansas, last Wednesday and 
spent 4 hours commiserating with the people of that community.
  There is a sense in America that we're all in this together, and in 
this case the sense is more than just a feeling. It's been a reality.
  An example, the nearby community of Haviland, population about 450, 
the grocery store there was open last Sunday. It's a typical grocery 
store in a small town. My guess is it makes no money. It's more of a 
community service than it is a business. It has the old wooden floors 
and the tin ceiling that is very traditional, very common in 
communities I represent. And I watched as the owner of the grocery 
store stood behind the counter, and people brought groceries to the 
counter and placed them there, ready to pay, and he would ask the 
question, ``Where are you from?'' And if the answer was, Greensburg, 
his answer was, ``No charge.''
  We've seen this exhibited time and time again by friends and family, 
but even as important as that, we've seen it demonstrated time and time 
again by people who know no one in Greensburg, Kansas.
  So, Mr. Speaker, the tragedy was tremendous, the destruction was 
great, but in reality, people have the faith in their future and are 
willing to take the steps necessary to see that their community is 
rebuilt and that their children and grandchildren have a future in 
Greensburg.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution commending 
these people of Greensburg, Kansas, for their spirit, their bravery, 
their compassion, their love for friends and family, and I also say 
thank you to the Members of the House of Representatives and to 
Americans around the country who also have taken the steps to make sure 
that good things happen in the future of Greensburg.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Just very briefly before I yield to my good friend Mr. Skelton, let 
me just say this, that I was very pleased and very moved by the 
statement of the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and it reminds me 
that this country, our influence in the world is largely based on our 
moral authority, and that moral authority is one that says that we will 
leave no American behind.
  That's basically what you're saying. It's about the business of all 
of us lifting each other and being there and underlining under that 
United States, united.
  And so I appreciate what you've said.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my good friend from Missouri (Mr. 
Skelton).
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland and 
compliment him on the wisdom in his reflection of the character of our 
people of our country. Strength of character is the message today.
  I compliment my friend from Kansas (Mr. Moran) for introducing this 
legislation. All of us, of course, express sympathy to the people of 
Greensburg, Kansas. We rise in solidarity, and you are an excellent 
reflection of the character of those brave and solid people. We thank 
you for bringing this to our attention.
  A community was destroyed by a massive tornado, and those of us from 
the Midwest are used to severe weather, thunderstorms, winter winds, 
ice. Weather conditions are just a part of life for us.
  In Missouri, tornadoes have been prevalent during my 30 years that I 
have served here, and, in fact, I was here just a few weeks in May of 
1977 when tornadoes ravaged Pleasant Hill and Sedalia, Missouri.
  More recently in 2003, the city of Stockton was decimated by a large 
tornado. The storm damaged or destroyed over 250 homes, killing three 
residents and injuring numerous others. Since then, the city's been 
working with residents and both Federal and State authorities to 
rebuild the downtown and improve upon the public facilities.
  As the people of Kansas deal with the aftermath of Mother Nature's 
fury, we in Missouri stand with our neighbors to the west.
  And again, we thank the gentleman from Maryland for his words. We 
thank the gentleman from Kansas for introducing this resolution.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Beside me I have a photograph of Greensburg, Kansas, taken shortly 
after the tornado that perhaps gives Members of the House of 
Representatives and really America a sense of the extent of the 
destruction.
  And there are Members of Congress, I suppose, who come from places 
different than the middle of America, and let me describe Greensburg, 
Kansas, to you.
  Greensburg, Kansas, is a community of about 1,500 people. It's the 
county seat town of Kiowa County. It is the hub of activity for that 
county. It's in many ways a typical community that I represent. Its 
downtown consists of four or five blocks on both sides of the street of 
businesses, the hardware store, a drugstore, a grocery store. There's 
the seats of government, the city hall, the library, the hospital, the 
courthouse.
  Mr. Speaker, it's a community in which people have lived there, in 
many instances, for four and five generations, and it's a community 
that welcomes newcomers. In fact, that's the plea of every Kansas 
community: We'd like to grow and see some prosperity, see new people in 
our town.
  And so this is a community that has a combination of people who are 
senior citizens and young folks, a community that has folks who have 
lived there generation after generation, generally involved in 
agriculture, farming and ranching; but it's also a community that 
embraces new ideas and new people, a look toward the future. It's a 
community that has numerous churches, and yet today, as we talk about 
Greensburg, those structures, those buildings are gone.
  But in many ways, what's happened in Greensburg only reinforces who 
the people who call Greensburg home are. The fact that the buildings 
are gone is something they will live with. In fact, their response was 
how quickly can we get back into town so we can begin the process of 
rebuilding our homes, our businesses and our lives.
  On Saturday, I was in Greensburg for high school graduation. As I 
indicated, Greensburg is a town of about 1,500 people. Twenty-five 
seniors from Greensburg High School graduated on Saturday morning. 
Graduation was held under a tent on the golf course, the golf course 
because it's the only place in town that has no debris and rubble. 
Population 1,500, there were 1,800 people at graduation. They were 
there to tell the students, congratulations and best wishes.

                              {time}  1100

  They were also there to reinforce the importance of community, that 
life revolves around what goes on in the town, and life revolves around 
its future based upon its young people. Once again we saw the 
demonstration of how friends and family and neighbors and people who 
don't even know anybody in Greensburg came together in one more 
instance to make certain that there was love and compassion and care 
and concern demonstrated for the people of this community. I am so 
grateful again for the opportunity to represent the people of a 
community like Greensburg, Kansas.
  The question particularly by the national media has been, 
Congressman, do you believe they will rebuild their community? I can 
tell you that effort is ongoing today, and it began on Saturday, 
Saturday morning the day after the tornado, and it continues each and 
every moment.
  The city administrator, the mayor, the sheriff, the police chief, the 
county commissioners, the city council members all lost their homes. 
Yet Saturday morning, they were all gathered there to try to restore 
the services for electricity and gas and power and water to

[[Page H5544]]

the community. They lost everything, but yet, as community leaders, 
they were there.
  My friend, Dennis McKinney, the Democrat leader of the House of 
Representatives of the State of Kansas, announced on Sunday, a week 
ago, ``I have already hired the contractor to rebuild the house on the 
same foundation where I lived before the tornado, because leaders have 
to be leaders.'' Again, we see the determination of people.
  What I answered to the national media who asked me if they think 
Greensburg will be rebuilt, I don't know a lot of people in other 
communities, but I know the people of Greensburg, Kansas. In Kansas and 
in Greensburg, Kansas, we all have a place we love. It's called 
``home.''
  There is a great attraction to make certain that we do everything in 
this Congress, that the Federal Government responds appropriately to 
help the folks of Greensburg. I can tell you that the love of home is 
sufficient, that the people of Greensburg, Kansas, are rebuilding 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Again, I want to thank Mr. Moran for his statements. There was one 
scene that I am sure most Americans saw on TV. Right after the storm 
and the tornado, and people were looking through their belongings, 
there was one lady who said, ``You know, if I could just find my 
wedding ring, if I could just find my wedding ring.''
  Her house was totally demolished. Apparently she had said that early 
in the day. Then later in the day, they showed her again, saying, ``You 
won't believe this. I found my wedding ring.''
  For some reason, that was a very telling statement on her part, 
because what she was basically saying is that while the buildings may 
fall, while so much may seem so dim, the fact is that I still have 
family. I want that wedding ring, that band, that symbol of unity, that 
symbol of togetherness, that symbol of generations yet unborn, and 
those who have come before me; that's what I am looking for.
  Just as she found her wedding ring, I know the citizens of Greensburg 
will make it. Just as Mr. Moran said, they will rebuild.
  Then there was another scene, just yesterday on the news, where the 
commentators were talking about how a bank or two had kind of a 
temporary building, and other buildings were slowly coming up just to 
keep things rolling and doing business. Then to hear about the 
graduation of 25 students and 1,800 guests appearing, I think that 
sends a very powerful message to our Nation, and such a powerful 
message to so many people.
  Throughout life, we all fall down, but the question is whether we 
will get up. I think that as people watch the citizens of Greensburg, 
they realize that there will always, in the words of Martin Luther 
King, be interruptions in our lives. The question is whether we will 
continue our lives after the interruptions.
  On behalf of all of our Members, and I know there will be a unanimous 
vote from all of our Members, we want to say to the citizens of 
Greensburg that we stand with you, that our prayers are with you, and 
just know that as we remind you, God holds you in the palm of His hand.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. I thank the gentleman from Maryland. He has 
touched me by his personal interest, not only in this resolution, but 
in his awareness and concern for the people of Greensburg, Kansas.
  Mr. Speaker, once again, it's good to see in this House of 
Representatives where people from across the country recognize the 
value of working together to see that good happens.
  I also wish to express my appreciation to all the volunteers from 
across the country. Sunday, the two Sundays since the tornado, 
collection plates have been passed in our churches, the prayers have 
been said. The Red Cross has arrived, the Salvation Army is there, the 
National Guard, our soldiers away from home, again, helping in time of 
need. Our law enforcement officers from across the State and FEMA have 
performed admirably in this very difficult circumstance.
  I am pleased by the spirit exhibited today by the gentleman from 
Maryland and look forward to that spirit continuing as we work to 
rebuild Greensburg and all of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As I close, Mr. Speaker, I hope that many people from Greensburg 
observe this small session that we are going through right now. I hope 
that they know that we are with them.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 400, which expresses the sympathy of the House of 
Representatives to the citizens of Greensburg, KS, over the devastating 
tornado of May 4, 2007.
  Just over 2 weeks ago, a devastating weekend of storms left at least 
9 people dead and much of the farm town of Greensburg, KS, destroyed. 
Mile-wide tornadoes with winds of up to 205 miles per hour were 
recorded, leveling the town and destroying much of the equipment used 
by first-responders, including city and county trucks. By the time the 
winds finally settled, approximately 95 percent had been destroyed, 
displacing over 1,500 residents from their homes.
  The tragedy of this storm was compounded by the lack of available 
responders and equipment. Governor Kathleen Sebelius has lamented the 
deployment of much needed troops and resources to Iraq, stating ``When 
the troops get deployed, the equipment goes with them. So here in 
Kansas about 50 percent of our trucks are gone. We need trucks. We are 
missing Humvees, we're missing all kinds of equipment that could help 
us respond in this kind of emergency.''
  This storm illustrated precisely how rescue and recovery efforts here 
at home are being severely hampered by our ongoing involvement in Iraq. 
National Guard representatives have echoed this statement, with MG. Tod 
Bunting of the Kansas National Guard noting that first-responders 
lacked resources even before the war, which has subsequently ``further 
depleted us.''
  Despite these shortages, Guard troops are to be commended for their 
efforts at providing much needed security and supplies.
  Here in Congress, as hurricane season rapidly approaches, we are 
actively examining our Nation's response to natural disasters. Two 
years ago we learned, from Hurricane Katrina, the extent to which we 
were unprepared for, and unable to adequately respond to, a disaster of 
this magnitude.
  I urge this Congress to continue to pursue this important issue; the 
tornadoes in Kansas serve to remind us all that nature's furies are 
varied and unpredictable.
  Mr. Speaker, Greensburg, KS, remains in shambles. Homes are 
demolished, livelihoods lost, lives interrupted. I would like to join 
my colleague, Mr. Moran of Kansas, the sponsor of this bill, in 
expressing my deep personal sympathy to the victims of this natural 
disaster. Similarly, I would like to express my strong support for this 
resolution, and I would urge my colleagues to do likewise.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 400.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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