[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 13, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H7379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE UNSINKABLE TEXAS SPIRIT

  (Mr. O'ROURKE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, this last Sunday, I had the opportunity to 
go to Port Arthur and the El Vista neighborhood. Pictured here is the 
Channel family flanked by the amazing Jefferson County Sheriff Zena 
Stephens and County Commissioner Sinegal. You have Tomeka, McKenzie, 
and their father, Quincy, who are trying to find something to save out 
of a house that was all but destroyed. Ms. Tomeka showed me these 
pictures of McKenzie who is now a college student at TSU. His first 
grade picture and his kindergarten picture were just about all that 
they could save from their house.
  But I will tell you, the Channel family, like Texas, was undefeated 
and promised me that they were going to build their house back bigger 
and better than ever. That is the spirit of our State. It is the spirit 
of the people in southeast Texas in communities like Port Arthur, 
Orange, Beaumont, Houston, Port Lavaca, Victoria, Rockport, and so many 
others.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you and the other Members of this body 
for voting to support our State and other areas hit by recent storms to 
the tune of $15 billion. It is going to help us build back bigger and 
better than ever.

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