[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 99 (Monday, June 16, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5645-S5646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MIDWEST FLOODING

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this Father's Day weekend I celebrated by 
buying a dehumidifier. I live in the Midwest, and we have had a lot of 
rain, but I am lucky because my problems with a damp basement are 
minor--very minor--in comparison to what people all across the Midwest 
are facing. We have seen this before. I was hoping and praying we 
wouldn't see it again for a long time, but our colleagues from Iowa and 
Minnesota and others have spoken on the floor about the devastation 
that is a result of massive flooding in the Midwest and Wisconsin as 
well.
  Tens of thousands of our neighbors in the Midwest have suffered 
staggering losses and need help and our Government needs to be there, 
as promised. In my State of Illinois, the same floods that have 
devastated our northern neighbors are now heading our way. We are in a 
race against time and nature.
  By Wednesday of this week, at least in the Quincy area of the 
Mississippi River, we expect the Mississippi River to reach its crest. 
It is the mightiest river in North America. It is a beautiful river and 
a big part of America's history but, boy, when the rains start falling 
and all those rivers start feeding into it, the Mississippi can become 
almost uncontrollable.
  There are fears that the flooding along the Mississippi in Illinois 
could reach historic levels that we experienced during the great flood 
of 1993. I know all about that one. That was a flood on my watch. I was 
a Congressman in central Illinois, with a big swath of Illinois and the 
Mississippi River in my district.
  It was one of the most costly and devastating natural disasters ever 
to hit our country. It didn't come with the intensity and immediacy of 
a Hurricane Katrina and certainly didn't cause the long-term 
devastation they felt in Louisiana and Mississippi.
  Floods in our part of the world are a gradual, building thing that 
seem like they will never go away. More than 50 people died in 1993. 
Thousands were forced to evacuate their homes, as hundreds of levees 
failed up and down the Mississippi River. The economic damage exceeded 
$15 billion.
  The experts told us after that flood that it was a 500-year flood 
event. So we thought we would be able to brag about that for the rest 
of our lives, and generations to come will point back to 1993. Well, 
here we are 15 years later, and we seem to be on the verge of another 
similar disaster.
  Many times, weather-related disasters, such as Katrina, give us no 
warning. They strike in a matter of minutes, hours or days if we are 
lucky. This is different. We have seen this crisis coming for quite a 
while.
  Illinoisans are working hard and fast to try to prepare for the worst 
and to minimize the damage.
  Last Friday, when the Senate adjourned, I went back to my home State 
and drove over to Quincy on the Central Illinois Expressway and met 
with Mayor John Spring and then went down to Grafton, IL, and met with 
Mayor Richard Mosby. Senator Obama was in Quincy on Saturday.
  In those cities and towns up and down the Mississippi River, people 
are

[[Page S5646]]

filling sandbags as fast as they can do it. They are fortifying 
existing levees and creating levees to protect businesses and homes and 
valuable infrastructure.
  I commend all the residents, volunteers, emergency workers, and the 
more than 400 members of the Illinois National Guard, who are working 
to brace our State for these floodwaters. Many people are working 
around the clock.
  That is one of the nice things about this great Nation. I take 
special pride in the Midwest, which is where my roots are. When an 
emergency such as this arises, I have watched how people rally around 
and try to help.
  Again, I was with Mayor Spring in Quincy on Friday. People were 
literally spending their entire day filling sandbags. It is hard work; 
many times it is back-breaking work, repetitive. But the spirit in that 
meeting place was as good as anyplace I have ever been. They all felt 
they were pulling together for their neighbors, their community, their 
city, and for their State. They felt a special kinship.
  It is not unusual, of course, to see the great efforts of the Red 
Cross. They are always there trying to help people along, providing a 
sandwich and a bottle of water to the folks who need it when they are 
working. Also, other volunteers, including folks at a age where they 
could not pitch in and fill a sandbag, but they were making sandwiches 
and cookies to bring to the volunteers. It is that kind of a community 
outpouring that means so much.
  The official Government agencies were sure there doing their part, 
including FEMA and our Illinois counterpart, coordinating the disaster 
response, along with the Army Corps of Engineers.
  Over the weekend, two levees in our State--in the towns of Carman and 
Keithsburg--failed. Hundreds of residents in those towns have left 
their homes. Another levee broke last week in the town of 
Lawrenceville, on the east side of the State, and residents are 
stranded there without drinkable water.
  Floodwaters are starting to seep into other towns along the river. 
Heavy rains are still falling north of us, pushing the river higher by 
the day.
  Our Governor has already declared 15 counties in Illinois State 
disaster areas.
  At the urging of Senator Obama and myself, Governor Blagojevich wrote 
to President Bush and asked him to declare a number of Mississippi 
River counties Federal disaster areas. Quincy is preparing for the 
worst. The river is expected to crest at 32 feet. One of the main 
concerns there is the water intake plants that provide water for the 
region. If it goes down, it may take months to restore it. That will be 
a hardship on a lot of people we hope to avoid.
  I was with GEN Bill Enyart, head of the Illinois National Guard, 
Friday night. I said: Bill, I hope that as a special project the 
Illinois National Guard will join with Mayor John Spring to try to 
protect that waterworks. It is important. Bill answered the call 
immediately and called Mayor John Spring and sent 100 members of the 
Air Force National Guard there to start sandbagging around the water 
treatment plant, trying to save it before the river crests on 
Wednesday. All those volunteers and emergency workers--even State 
prisoners released from the local prisons and correction camps--are 
working side by side to fill sandbags.
  I also wish to say a word about State Senator John Sullivan in that 
area. He rolled up his sleeves immediately and went to work. I was with 
him Friday. He is roaming up and down the river trying to make sure he 
gives a helping hand where needed. He calls State and Federal agencies 
to see where they can be of assistance. He is a terrific public 
servant, and I was glad to be with him at that time.
  Senator Obama came to Quincy over the weekend and looked at the 
situation and pitched in as well, filling sandbags, and he was able to 
see how our State is being affected.
  The volunteers worked through Father's Day. The celebration with 
family was short-lived. They tried to do their best to tame the mighty 
Mississippi River. These volunteers are demonstrating amazing spirit. A 
flood is a devastating prospect to face and envision. But these folks 
have responded with resolve and determination. I am proud of them, and 
I am so proud to represent them. Their work may save homes, businesses, 
and lives. Every sandbag that is filled may make it much easier for 
communities to get back on their feet when the floodwaters recede.
  State and local leaders in Illinois are also working around the clock 
to prepare for the worst. We know, from looking at neighboring States, 
that the severity of this flood will be more than the people of 
Illinois alone can absorb.
  The magnitude of this disaster will require action from the Federal 
Government.
  I have stood in Congress for over 20 years, and every time some 
section of our Nation has been victimized by a disaster, I have always 
felt that is when we come together as an American family, when we draw 
on our national treasure and the efforts of American workers across the 
country to come to the rescue of our neighbors in trouble. Well, now it 
is time for the Midwest to ask for that help.
  I know this Congress and President will be forthcoming. They have 
done a good job so far. We have to make certain we give them all the 
tools they need to move quickly back home to prepare for the worst, to 
try to avoid tragedies that can be avoided, and then to clean up 
afterwards and get on with their lives.
  Senator Obama and I will work with the Illinois congressional 
delegation to ensure that the communities and the people affected do 
not face this disaster alone. America and this Congress and Senate will 
stand with them.
  I yield the floor.

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