[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S5242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      MONTANA WEATHER EMERGENCIES

  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today to share an incredible story 
about a community working together in the aftermath of a powerful storm 
in Billings, MT.
  The storm that occurred on Father's Day spawned at least one tornado 
that touched down in Billings Heights, blowing apart several businesses 
and one of the city's most familiar buildings.
  If my colleagues will take a look, this is a picture of what the 
inside of Rimrock Auto Arena looks like today. You can see the tornado 
ripped off the roof. Thousands and thousands of folks have memories 
from inside this building, from concerts to sporting events to 
graduations.
  This picture was taken by Larry Mayer, a photographer for the 
Billings Gazette. Minutes after the tornado tore through, emergency 
responders, as my colleagues can see, arrived on the scene to keep 
folks away from the debris in the streets.
  The wind twisted guardrails around light poles. The rain turned 
streets into rivers. Golf ball-sized hail came crashing down.
  In our part of the country, we are used to extreme weather--subzero 
cold, drought, snow, and severe thunderstorms--but a tornado tearing 
through the middle of Montana's largest city is pretty darn rare. 
Through it all, only one minor injury was reported, and that was due to 
hail.
  While we stand together in support of the folks who lost their 
businesses and their property last Sunday, we are grateful no one died. 
Nobody lost their home. I attribute that to a lot of luck and to quick 
action and smart decisions by emergency responders in Billings and in 
Yellowstone County.
  Immediately after the clouds lifted, officers kept onlookers out of 
harm's way. More than a dozen National Guardsmen immediately secured 
the area, answering a late night call on Father's Day. News reporters 
went to work sharing the story. Unelected leaders, from councilmen to 
commissioners, buckled down to hammer out the next steps.
  This week, people across the country opened their newspapers and 
turned on their TVs to see the incredible pictures from Billings, MT. 
They saw what happens when a community works together in the aftermath 
of a storm such as this. Everyone lived to share their story, and the 
community grew stronger because of it.
  It is not just Billings that felt the force of wild weather this last 
week. Further north, the community of Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation is 
still trying to tally up the damage after a powerful rain storm last 
Thursday night. In the nearby Bear Paw Mountains, there is word that 
water wiped out entire roads. Dozens of families in the area were 
forced out of their homes, and roads were destroyed.
  Last week, a microburst destroyed a home near Froid, MT. Ramona 
Ryder, the woman who lived in a residence there, died in that storm.
  Of course, Montana is a State where agriculture is not just the top 
industry, it is the livelihood of thousands of families. Weather takes 
its toll on crops and soil and irrigation. But over the past week, we 
have seen unusual weather across the Big Sky State, and we can expect 
more of it. From farmers to tribal communities to folks who live in 
Montana's biggest cities, it impacts everyone.
  Now we begin the process of rebuilding the businesses and the 
familiar buildings destroyed by these storms.
  I ask the Presiding Officer and all of my colleagues to stand with me 
to offer any support we can to the Billings and Rocky Boy's communities 
and to those folks up in the Bear Paw Mountains and especially to the 
folks who have to start from scratch because, as we know all too well 
in Montana, it takes working together to rebuild, and we will become 
stronger.
  With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of 
a quorum, and I ask unanimous consent that the time during the quorum 
call be divided equally between the Democrats and Republicans.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Gillibrand). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kaufman). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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