[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7923-S7924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO ANCHORAGE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

 Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, it is coming up on the end of the 
week, time when I get to do one of the things I love to do best here on 
the Senate floor: recognizing an Alaskan or a group of Alaskans who 
help make my State so special. I call them our Alaskan of the Week.
  Last time I spoke, I recognized all Alaskans who were impacted by the 
massive earthquake, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake centered about 7 miles 
north of Anchorage, that we experienced on Friday, November 30.
  The earthquake was the second largest that Alaska had experienced. 
The extent of the damage is still being evaluated, but the best guess 
is that it caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to homes, 
schools, roads--infrastructure throughout the area.
  Aftershocks continue, at least 4,000 of them, and at least two dozen 
have been larger than 4.0. magnitude.
  Residents of Anchorage and the Mat-Su--Southcentral we call the 
area--are still rattled, but Alaskans are generous, strong, and 
resilient, and they are skilled. They know what to do during an 
emergency.
  Today I want to recognize a group of Alaskans who, under immense 
pressure, did their jobs and served our State with cool heads, smart 
minds, and the upmost courage: the air traffic controllers who were on 
duty in both the Anchorage International Airport and at Merrill Field 
at the time the earthquake hit.
  Before I talk about the extraordinary actions they performed to keep 
air traffic running smoothly through the earthquake and the lengths 
they went through to make sure passengers were safe, let me spend a few 
minutes talking about how important aviation is and air traffic 
controllers are to my State.
  So you know that my State is the biggest State in the country, more 
than twice the size of Texas. If you want to get a sense of how big it 
is, come up to my office where I have a map in the front room and 
cutouts of all the other States, to scale.
  Many of those States that make up our great country are basically 
dots on the map.
  We are big, but most of Alaska is only accessible by air. In fact, 82 
percent of our communities--251--are not accessible by road. You have 
to fly to get there.
  The airspace serves as our highways. Alaska's people travel by air 
eight times more often per capita than those in rural areas of the 
Lower 48 and ship 39 times more freight per capita, nearly one ton per 
person per year.
  Not only that, Anchorage is the crossroads to the Asia Pacific--we 
have one of the world's best cargo hubs--and the air traffic 
controllers working the towers guide passengers and goods to the Far 
East, Iceland, and across the globe.

[[Page S7924]]

  All of that air traffic demands the best air traffic controllers, 
about 180 in the Anchorage area alone, working day and night to guide 
the planes in and guide them out. They are highly trained, skilled, and 
know what to do in case of an emergency.
  When the earth shook in Anchorage, it was an emergency, and our air 
traffic controllers both at Merrill Field, a general aviation airport, 
and at the busier Ted Stevens International Airport, acted fast.
  Let me first talk about what happened at the Ted Stevens 
International Airport during the earthquake.
  According to a reporter, when the earthquake hit, one of the managers 
said the tower that they were in swayed 3 or 4 feet and described 
watching transformers blow out around town from the tower.
  A FedEx plane was coming in, and they got on their radios. ``FedEx, 
go around, FedEx, go around!'' they told the plane, averting a 
potential accident.
  Once they realized how severe the earthquake was, the controllers 
evacuated, carrying their radios.
  So they chose another option: The three guided the airplanes in from 
the cab of a pickup truck.
  They had what they needed--radios, phones, and a window--and they had 
the support of dozens of FAA employees at other locations.
  This is what is amazing; Because of their quick thinking, the 
airport's three runways were closed for less than 10 minutes after a 7-
magnitude earthquake struck.
  On the other side of town, at Merrill Field control tower, a similar 
story was unfolding.
  Again, the controllers and all on the team evacuated, and again, the 
controllers took their private vehicles out to the ramp and powered up 
FAA portable radios.
  The initial lull in general aviation and flight school traffic was 
quickly replaced by public safety helicopter and Medevac flights, Civil 
Air Patrol aircraft on disaster relief and reconnaissance missions, and 
airborne observers checking critical pipeline and roadway 
infrastructure.
  I am so proud of how everyone in Southcentral reacted to the 
earthquake. Kids immediately dove under desks. Our first responders 
jumped into action. Neighbors helped neighbors. And they are still 
doing so.
  Not one person died as a result of the earthquake.
  I am so proud of our air traffic controllers who, under immense 
pressure, improvised and did what needed to be done to keep everyone 
safe and make sure that flights weren't disrupted.
  Thank you for all you did during that very frightening time, and 
thank you for all you do for all of us every day. Congratulations for 
being our Alaskans of the Week.

                          ____________________