[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 16, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1391-H1392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN LOUISIANA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Abraham) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to my home 
State of Louisiana, where thousands of people throughout the State, and 
in my congressional district particularly, are dealing with the 
aftermath of widespread flooding.
  Beginning on Wednesday of last week, heavy rains began falling across 
northeast Louisiana. By Friday, we had recorded over 2 feet of rain. 
Creeks and lakes overflowed. Water topped levees and spilled into 
neighborhoods. State highways looked like rivers, and parking lots 
looked like ponds.
  Since the flood began, I have visited a number of parishes throughout 
my district. Whether it was in north, central, or southeast Louisiana, 
the one constant was there were far, far too many people hurting.
  As of yesterday, at least four people had died from the flood in 
Louisiana. Nearly 15,000 homes had been reported damaged, and the 
number will definitely grow. More than 6,800 people have requested help 
from FEMA, and that number will likely grow as well.
  Lives were changed last week, and we have a long way to go to 
recover. The President has approved, at the request of the Governor, 
Federal disaster aid for most parishes affected. This is a great, great 
thing, and we need it. I appreciate that support very much.
  I have lived in Louisiana all my life. I still live in a soybean 
field in northeast Louisiana not far from where I grew up in a 
cornfield, also close to my home. I have seen a lot of things in my 
time and I have seen a lot of rain come, but I have never seen as much 
rain as we received last week.
  Unfortunately, Louisiana is all too familiar with disasters. In the 
last 10 years, we have seen five hurricanes, an oil spill, and now this 
horrific flooding. But each time we face adversity, Louisiana and her 
people respond. We follow Christ's commandment, which is to love and 
help one another.
  I have been so inspired by the way our communities across Louisiana 
have answered the call to serve: packing sandbags in the wee hours of 
the morning, volunteering at shelters, cooking food for relief workers, 
housing stranded family members; and sometimes people who are not even 
known to these people, they are taking them into their homes. The acts 
of kindness just keep coming and coming, and we need more of them to 
keep coming.
  There is one group of individuals I want to especially recognize, and 
that is our first responders. The National Guard has rescued over 3,295 
people so far. Sheriffs, deputies, other law enforcement officials, and 
firefighters are still tallying their numbers because they have saved 
so many lives. These men and women have logged countless hours and put 
themselves in harm's way to save the lives of others.
  I have heard stories of some officers using makeshift rafts to pull 
people from flooded homes and getting them out before waters overtook 
their home.
  I have seen videos of the National Guard with Black Hawk helicopters 
rappelling into floodwaters and pulling people to safety who were 
clinging to trees. I saw one instance where a gentleman had been in a 
tree for up to 2 days.
  It is just incredible what our first responders have done.
  There is another story about our power company employees saving a man 
whose truck was swept off the road by water. Again, he had been in a 
tree, hanging on for life, for 2 full days before he was saved.
  Story after story in parish after parish show the incredible strength 
our Louisianians have and the first responders' abilities and their 
caring and what they have done for our State.
  The rains have stopped for now, but we are not in the clear by any 
means. The water is pushing most of our rivers over their flood stages 
in a big, big way. I hope another round of floods isn't on the way.
  In Louisiana, we know how to bounce back from adversity, but we will 
only do so with the continued generosity of those who are in a position 
to help others. I ask the Nation to remember Louisiana in its prayers 
as we continue and start the process of rebuilding.

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