[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 11 (Friday, January 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE RESIDENTS OF ADAMS, NEW YORK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM L. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 17, 2014

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to focus the Nation's attention 
on the residents of Adams, New York. Adams is a small village located 
near Interstate 81 and about forty minutes south of the U.S.-Canadian 
border. The residents of this town recently demonstrated why small 
towns like those dotting the North Country are what give America its 
strength.
  Recently, a major storm featuring bitter cold and as many as four 
feet of snow closed I-81, a major artery for travelers and trucks, and 
stranded about 150 people in Adams. According to local news reports, 
this town rallied around their unexpected guests. About 100 volunteers 
headed to the town's firehouse to brew coffee and assemble cots. Local 
businesses donated nearly 2,000 sandwiches and slices of pizza. Around 
40 families opened their homes so their visitors had a comfortable 
place to sleep.
  One story in the Watertown Daily Times said the town's residents used 
social media to help find places for the stranded truckers and 
travelers to spend the night. Other fire halls in the area also 
accommodated stranded travelers and the local chapter of the American 
Red Cross helped supply cots.
  In another article, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported Adams 
resident Mollie Bangs, who is 93, and her caregiver Michael Smith 
hosted a family from Quebec who were on their way home from Florida. 
Most of the family spoke only French and none had winter clothing. Ms. 
Bangs and Mr. Smith lent them winter clothes and entertained them in 
Ms. Bangs' home.
  The stranded travelers pitched in too. The Post-Standard told of how 
a stranded soldier from Fort Drum in Watertown, NY named Jesse Brown 
helped shovel four feet of snow at the home of Kathy Sheley, the Adams 
resident who took him in.
  Many communities across the country would be crippled for days by the 
volume of snow the area received. The town's fire department worked 
with a local pharmacy to bring medicine and supplies to those in need. 
Crews of State and local snow plow drivers and New York State Troopers 
worked around the clock. The local and State workers were able to 
reopen the highway for the stranded travelers just a day after the 
storm hit.
  Mr. Speaker, cynics have said that our Nation is losing its sense of 
community. I submit this story as proof to the contrary. Please join me 
in recognizing the residents of Adams, the local fire and public works 
departments, the American Red Cross, the New York State Troopers 
serving in the North Country and the employees of the New York State 
Department of Transportation whom it is my privilege to represent in 
Congress for their selfless actions during this recent storm.

                          ____________________