[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 193 (Monday, December 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H15477-H15479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING LOCAL AND STATE FIRST RESPONDERS, AND THE CITIZENS OF THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST IN FACING THE SEVERE WINTER STORM OF DECEMBER 2 AND
3, 2007
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 851) honoring local and State first responders, and
the citizens of the Pacific Northwest in facing the severe winter storm
of December 2 and 3, 2007.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
[[Page H15478]]
H. Res. 851
Whereas on December 2 and 3, 2007, a storm with winds
exceeding 120 miles per hour struck Oregon and Washington,
toppled trees, felled power lines, and destroyed homes and
businesses;
Whereas more than ten inches of rain fell in 24 hours,
inundating parts of Oregon and Washington, causing rivers to
overflow, flooding homes, schools, businesses, and roads;
Whereas the combination of hurricane-force winds and
torrential rains caused devastating damage that isolated
towns, left citizens without housing, transportation,
communications, water, heat, or electricity;
Whereas local and State emergency personnel responded
heroically and without hesitation to aid in rescue, recovery,
and assistance efforts;
Whereas the Oregon and Washington National Guard and the
U.S. Coast Guard rescued hundreds of individuals trapped in
or on their homes by rising water;
Whereas the people of Oregon and Washington rose to become
extraordinary citizens by helping each other, opening their
homes, schools, churches, and businesses to shelter their
neighbors;
Whereas amateur radio operators performed vital
communication duties in assisting first responders;
Whereas the National Weather Service forecasts helped avert
even greater casualties and damage;
Whereas people have perished in the storm;
Whereas homes, businesses, schools, and roads have been
closed;
Whereas many long-term effects of the storm are still
unknown; and
Whereas thousands of people of the Pacific Northwest are
without power, water, or road access: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the citizens of the Pacific Northwest for their
courage in facing the storm and efforts in helping their
neighbors in a time of great need;
(2) honors the National Weather Service, State and local
police officers, fire fighters, local rescue personnel, other
first responders, and amateur radio operators for their
efforts in the face of the severe storm;
(3) extends its thoughts and prayers to those whose lives
have been devastated, and who have lost their housing,
transportation, communications, water, heat, or electricity;
and
(4) extends its profound and deepest sympathies to the
families and friends of those who perished.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from California
(Mr. Issa) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.
General Leave
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
There was no objection.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of
H.R. 851, honoring local and State first responders and the citizens of
the Pacific Northwest in facing the severe winter storm of December 2
and 3, 2007. H. Res. 851 was introduced by Representative David Wu on
December 6, 2007. This measure, which has been cosponsored by 83
Members, has the support of the entire Oregon congressional delegation.
On December 2 and 3, 2007, a severe storm hit the Pacific Northwest,
destroying homes, schools, businesses and roads, thus leaving thousands
of people in Oregon and Washington without power, water, or road
access. The Oregon and Washington National Guard and the U.S. Coast
Guard rescued hundreds of individuals trapped in or on their homes.
Oregonians and Washingtonians became extraordinary citizens by opening
their hearts and their homes.
Mr. Speaker, please join me in commending the first responders and
citizens who helped in time of need. I urge the swift passage of this
resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1245
Mr. ISSA. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in bipartisan support of this resolution with my
colleague from the District of Columbia in honoring the first
responders and citizens who were lost and who dealt with this extreme
storm in such a valiant way.
All of us know the beauty of Mount St. Helens. All of us know the
beauty of the region, but few of us outside the region can understand
the strength of the storm that flooded whole communities, battered
trees, roadways, and destroyed power for entire communities and left at
least eight dead. In the aftermath, as the waters recede, we in
Congress join with the people of Oregon and Washington in banding
together to rebuild their community and their tattered region. But more
importantly, we thank the first responders who, as appropriately people
sought cover and safety, went out to deal with the effects of this
storm at risk of life and limb.
I yield back the balance of my time and urge support for this
important resolution.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and great feeling
of sympathy and of great respect for those who have suffered so
courageously through this storm that I yield to Mr. David Wu.
Mr. WU. I thank the gentlelady.
Mr. Speaker, between December 1 and December 3, the States of Oregon
and Washington were battered by an exceptionally severe storm. One wind
measurement instrument clocked at 129 miles an hour before it blew
over, and I am told by a helicopter pilot that the U.S. Coast Guard
measured winds up to 150 miles an hour. This is the first time that the
National Weather Service used the term ``hurricane'' in connection with
a storm outside of the tropics or subtropics, certainly as far north as
latitude 45 where we are. We set an unfortunate record.
We have frequent storms in the Pacific Northwest, but what set this
one apart is that while the typical winter storm may bring winds of 70
or 100 miles an hour for a few hours to coastal Oregon, this storm
brought sustained winds of 85 to 100 miles per hour for 24 hours and
gusts up to 130, 150 miles an hour. Entire swaths of trees were
uprooted or snapped off. Homes were flooded. Twelve to 14 inches of
rain fell in a 24-hour period in some parts of the coast range, and
both Interstate 5 and the main Amtrak line on the west coast were
closed for a period of time.
The folks who live in the coast range and on the coast were
especially hard hit. But we are a hardy people who live in this
paradise, and people took care of themselves. They immediately reached
out to their neighbors. They helped each other, pulled together as a
community, and we got through this together.
Unfortunately, several people perished, many people were injured. And
many people went without heat or electricity or telephone service, were
cut off from the world and were cut off by landslides on the roads,
also, in addition to the loss of communication. But people got through
this together in the great tradition of America and the great tradition
of the Northwest and of Oregon.
I would like to especially commend the local and State first
responders, the Oregon National Guard, the United States Coast Guard,
the Oregon Red Cross, and the good works of the State of Oregon in
facing this very, very severe storm. Even during the torrential rain
and the winds, the good citizens of Oregon and Washington came to one
another's assistance. There are people who told me that they knew that
someone was trapped in a home, and they went in to get them even though
there were shingles and pieces of glass flying through the air hard
enough to stick into the side of homes. And one person went into a home
where a piece of sheet metal was flapping in the wind, knowing that if
that sheet metal came off that it would become a dangerous projectile,
but he went in to get the resident out.
City Councilor Mark Kujala of Warrenton stayed by the phones for 24
hours to take calls and answer calls so that people would not feel
isolated and cut off, so that they could get some information. KMUN in
Astoria, Oregon, because there was a severe storm a year ago, prepared
for this by putting up a propane tank. And even though a tree fell on
its roof and damaged the structure severely, KMUN stayed on the air all
through the storm and gave the people of the north Oregon coast a sense
of connection to what was happening in the outside world. And I want to
commend the amateur radio operators, the folks who kept parts of the
[[Page H15479]]
local telephone system operating, and others, for keeping our
communities together through the darkness, the cold, and the isolation
when most of the phone lines went down.
The immediate efforts of first responders as well as local and State
officials are to be applauded. And I want to express a special thanks
to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard lost all of their
communication. They lost their Internet. They lost their telephones.
They lost their cell phones. They were down to VHF radio, 1950s
technology, to communicate with other first responders and themselves,
and yet, they went out and picked people off the roofs, went into
homes. One of the rescuers went into a home that was flooded up to
chest level and the lights were still on in the room where this
disabled individual was located, and yet this rescue swimmer went in
there with the electricity on and got the person out and into a rescue
helicopter.
The National Guard performed heroic efforts. Camp Rilea became a
safety shelter, kind of a dry safe harbor for the people of the north
coast. They distributed generator fuel to so many people who were
trying to run their own generators when the power went down, and at one
point they were down to their last 30, 60, 90 minutes of fuel. But then
they got resupplied and were able to help continue to keep other folks'
generators working. And the radio station in Seaside had their antenna
blown down, but they got right back up the next day when it was safe to
get the antenna back up and get a generator going and kept folks
informed.
I have tried to work closely with Governor Kulongoski, and he has
been terrific through this entire episode. It was a Sunday-Monday
storm, and I couldn't get a phone call through to folk in the area
until Wednesday night, but Governor Kulongoski toured the area Tuesday
afternoon and was on the phone with me Tuesday afternoon to tell me
some of the things that were needed. The Governor and I work hard to
make sure that both the State and the Federal components of recovery
and prevention for the future, that we do our jobs, that we have not
too much government but all the government that we need to keep
Americans safe, to enable us to pull together in times of crisis and
need.
Life is uncertain in the paradise that we call the Pacific Northwest.
It has sometimes been referred to as the land of fire and ice. We have
regular storms, periodic fires, and rare huge earthquakes and tsunami.
To paraphrase an author of the region: We are always searching for
hardy people to match this challenging land. And I think that we do
have those people.
Life in the paradise we call home may be uncertain, but we know that
we are a match for it and we shall meet the challenges together. A long
road of recovery lies ahead, but like the pioneers of old, we will
bring everyone to the finish line together. No one will be left behind.
No one will be forgotten. I want to salute the citizens of the Pacific
Northwest, the first responders, and everyone else who came from the
region to help out in our time of need. Thank you.
Mr. ISSA. I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. I want to say to my good friend from Oregon that his
resolution not only informs us about the heroic efforts of first
responders and the residents, but educates us about places where
catastrophic storms may occur unexpectedly. It sounds as though the
States of Oregon and Washington had a short-term version of Katrina and
managed somehow to deal with it themselves. So we commend first
responders and citizens of both States.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, on December 2
and 3, a severe winter storm swept across Oregon and Washington State.
Countless first responders came to the aid of those in need and worked
tirelessly to restore order in the aftermath of the storm. I strongly
support H. Res. 851 in recognition of the dedication, service, and
courage shown by these men and women.
The winter storm affected dozens of communities and many thousands of
people in Washington and Oregon, including my constituents in the
Nineth District of Washington. It struck the Pacific Northwest with a
ferocity that is rarely seen in the region. The storm brought winds
that exceeded 100 miles per hour, saturated the region with 10 inches
of rain in a 24-hour period, and led to the loss of human lives. Homes
and businesses were flooded, roads and thoroughfares were damaged or
swept away, and thousands of citizens were left without electricity,
heat, water, transportation, or adequate shelter.
Throughout and following the storm, the men and women of local and
state police agencies, fire and rescue groups, local and state
emergency first-response organizations, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the
Oregon and Washington National Guard were ready to respond to the
extraordinary circumstances. They rescued those trapped by the rising
waters, provided aid to those in need of critical assistance, and
helped to limit the ill effects of this tragic weather event.
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I want to call
particular attention to the service of the Washington National Guard.
Some 400 Washington National Guard Members, 70 vehicles, and 11 teams
supported response and recovery operations, conducted house-to-house
searches, and provided needed food, water, and other emergency
provisions. In cooperation with many other local, State, and Federal
first responders, the men and women of the Washington State National
Guard performed their duty admirably, and I am very grateful to them.
Please join me in honoring the Washington State National Guard and
recognizing the many other first responders for their contributions
during the winter storm of early December. I urge my colleagues to
support H. Res. 851.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cardoza). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton)
that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res.
851.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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