[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 2, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H3647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                            THE RAINS OF MAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the rains came down and the floods 
came up. And although Texas did not receive Noah's 40 days and 40 
nights of rain, the recent 10 days of rain were of Biblical 
proportions.
  The whole State received the incessant rain. And about the time we 
thought it was all over on Saturday morning, it all happened again 
Saturday night, flooding many of the same homes and communities 
throughout the State.
  In Houston, six, so far, have died. Statewide, there are now 24 
deaths. Eleven are still missing in Hays County when the Blanco River 
rose so fast at night it trapped people in over 200 resort homes that 
were on the river--homes that eventually washed away. Many of Texas' 
rivers--the Trinity, the Colorado, the Brazos, and the San Jacinto--
rose at rapid record rates and are still out of their banks.
  Weather experts, Mr. Speaker, said so much rain fell in Texas in May 
that it was enough moisture to cover the entire State in 8 inches of 
water. That is a lot of rain. Seventy counties have been designated 
disaster areas. But the rainbow news, Mr. Speaker, is that many, many 
voluntarily helped their neighbors and strangers survive the troubled 
waters of the floods.
  Here is just one example. The hard rain in Dallas flooded the Trinity 
River. Dallas is in north Texas. The Trinity River flows south down to 
southeast Texas near Houston, and the added rain in southeast Texas had 
the Trinity River the size of the Mississippi River.
  As the river rose in southeast Texas, a herd of cattle were trapped 
in the middle of the river on high ground. This high ground was 
eventually going to be overcome with water and the cattle would be 
washed out to sea. The river at this point is between the two small 
towns of Liberty and Dayton, about 6 miles apart, separated by U.S. 
highway 90.
  So Sunday, in a scene reminiscent of the 1800s roundups, cowboys 
mounted airboats--yes, airboats, Mr. Speaker--to force the hundreds of 
cattle into the river and have them swim to safer ground. The only area 
that had high ground was U.S. highway 90. The highway was above the 
water, even though water was on both sides of the highway.
  The roundup took several hours because, Mr. Speaker, cattle are 
hardheaded. They did not want to leave the high ground and swim to a 
highway. So it took several hours to do this. Even the cowboys were 
lassoing calves and tying them to the airboat so they wouldn't drown. 
Finally, after many hours, all the cattle were forced up on U.S. 
highway 90 between Liberty and Dayton, Texas.
  Now, what do you do with them? Well, the cowboys, now on horses, 
along with citizens and other volunteers, herded the cattle down U.S. 
highway 90 to Dayton, Texas, through Main Street of Dayton, Texas. The 
citizens came out with their kids to see the cattle drive through 
Dayton, Texas, and they moved these several hundred of cattle to a rail 
yard where they will be kept, that is the highest area in the county, 
until the flood waters finally are diminished.
  Of course, local businesses helped out: a local store, Casa Don Boni 
in Liberty; and, of course, the Sonic, always present in Dayton, 
supported the volunteers with food and drinks; and other businesses as 
well helped. This is an example of how, during a troubled time, tough 
times, Texans are helping each other survive this catastrophic 
flooding.
  So, now, Mr. Speaker, that the rains that came down and the flood 
that came up have subsided and the earth has returned to its dry land, 
our prayers go out to the ones who lost family, friends, and property. 
God bless every one of them. And we also give grateful thanks to those 
that helped each other during the floods of May.
  And that is just the way it is.

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