[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF NEPAL

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2015

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, after the massive earthquake shook 
Nepal, Eric Jean and Della Hoffman were stranded on a remote trail with 
a group of other backpackers. Friends of theirs from their time in 
college at Rice University, which is in my district, contacted my 
office for help. We worked with the State Department to set them free. 
Five days after the earthquake, Special Forces came to the village and 
rescued them.
  Ms. Hoffman would later recall, ``I don't think we even knew what was 
happening until some of the villagers ran out of the hut and then, 
immediately after that, the boulders just started coming down from both 
sides of the canyon, including into the village and on top of the 
houses.''
  Six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers sacrificed their lives 
attempting to save others just like Eric and Della when their 
helicopter crashed.
  I stand with my colleagues in support of House Resolution 235, and 
urge the administration to work with the Nepal government and the 
international community to deliver aid quickly, easily, and with long-
term rebuilding in mind.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________