[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 7, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E327-E328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE PEOPLE OF INDIANA IN THE AFTERMATH OF DEADLY TORNADOES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TODD C. YOUNG

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 7, 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I've never 
been prouder to call southern Indiana home.
  Late Friday afternoon in our part of America, a disaster brought 
neighbors together, turned strangers into friends, and reminded us all 
of what it means to be part of a community.
  Over the course of several hours, fierce winds, softball-sized hail, 
and deadly tornadoes descended upon southern Indiana communities, 
leaving behind a 50-mile path of destruction from New Pekin to Chelsea 
and beyond.
  Our people are still assessing the costs, but we know this much: at 
least 13 Hoosiers have died; scores have lost their homes and 
businesses; and citizens across the region have suffered untold damage 
to their personal and public property.
  As hard as it is to imagine, the tragedy might have been worse were 
it not for the bravery, and resilience, of rank-and-file Hoosiers.
  Our firemen, policemen, EMTs, and local officials deserve our thanks. 
Those who serve in Indiana's National Guard, our State Police, and our 
Department of Homeland Security stepped up, too. From the initial 
response through the ongoing efforts today, their service has been 
exemplary.
  But it has been concerned citizens--so-called ordinary Americans--who 
have restored a measure of stability to a region pummeled by forces 
beyond our control.
  There was the bus driver in Henryville who, in the nick of time, 
rushed dozens of children back to school to protect them from the 
approaching twister.
  There were the EMTs off Interstate 65 who saw a woman thrown from her 
car, and saved her from being pummeled by hail by dragging a large 
metal sign across the road and holding it over her. They likely saved 
her life.
  There is Stephanie Decker, a Marysville mother who lost parts of both 
legs but courageously saved the lives of her two children by covering 
them with her body as a tornado crushed their home on top of them. We 
are pulling for you and your family, Stephanie.
  There were parents and friends and even strangers across southern 
Indiana who, as danger approached, took a moment to extend a hand to 
others, and said, ``Come inside, we'll make room.''
  After the storms left their mark, Hoosiers immediately turned to 
accounting for loved ones and comforting neighbors.
  The damage was, and is, severe. One tornado--by some accounts a half-
mile wide--carved a clear path through southern Indiana, ripping trees 
out of the earth, hurling automobiles and combines long distances, 
severing power lines, and decimating countless homes and businesses.
  Here again, Hoosiers did not sit around and wait for others to help 
us out. We got to work.
  Over the weekend, I spent time surveying the damage and meeting with 
those who lost the most. Everywhere I visited, I met citizens wearing 
boots and work gloves who were busily beginning to sort through piles 
of rubble. I met others who had fired up their chainsaws and were 
clearing debris from roadways. I saw clusters of cars and pick-up 
trucks parked outside homes that were hit hardest.
  In the aftermath of such a tragedy, one would be forgiven for asking, 
``Why me?'' But I never heard it.
  Instead, time and again I heard Hoosiers sympathize with those who 
lost more than they. And more than one person told me that, in the end, 
stuff isn't all that important--it's people that are important. And I 
heard sincere, caring people ask their neighbors, ``How can I help?''
  At one stop, I met a young couple from Jeffersonville--only 15 miles 
away--who offered me a drink of water. Their city didn't suffer much 
damage, so they loaded up their cars with bottled water and granola 
bars, looking for others who needed a hand.
  In Henryville, a pizza shop was mostly destroyed, except for the 
freezer. The couple who owned it, rather than worrying about the loss 
of their business, asked officials how they could donate food from the 
freezer to those who needed it most.
  In Marysville, the local Christian Church remains intact, but little 
else. Pastor Bob Priest told me their decades-old building is no longer 
structurally sound, but the congregation has never been stronger. As 
congregants were busy making repairs, I noticed the stained glass 
window above the church doorway was undamaged. It reads, ``In Memory of 
the Willing Workers.''
  The local Red Cross chapter opened an overnight shelter, but in the 
first weekend no one checked in: Instead, friends shared their homes; 
churches opened their doors . . . everyone, it seems, could count on 
someone.
  For those of us who have seen the scale and scope of destruction up 
close, we know the path back will not be easy. But we will fix all that 
Mother Nature broke.
  Government at all levels will, and must, be there to help--from local 
authorities, to the

[[Page E328]]

State of Indiana, to our congressional offices. My staff and I, in 
particular, are eager to connect our constituents to whatever federal 
services, and funds, might help them get their lives back on track.
  But make no mistake: it will be the people of Indiana--the people of 
tight-knit communities like Henryville, Marysville, Chelsea, and New 
Pekin--who will rebuild broken lives.
  During these tough times, Hoosiers are reminding us what it means to 
be a community of citizens--One Nation, Under God, indivisible, come 
what may. That sense of community has always bound Americans in tough 
times, and it will get us through this tragedy as well.
  This thought especially struck home with me as I visited Henryville 
High School. The roof of the gymnasium was torn off, some of the walls 
had collapsed, and the bleachers were demolished. But hanging in the 
rafters, waving in the breeze, still hung the American flag unscathed.
  May God be with those Americans who are putting their lives back 
together. We are praying for you, and here for you.

                          ____________________