[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 38 (Monday, March 4, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Tornadoes in Alabama

  Mr. JONES. Mr. President, people across the country and around the 
world today have seen the images of the terrible devastation left by 
tornadoes that touched down in Lee County, AL.
  Lee County is home to Auburn University, and so many of the wonderful 
constituents there have suffered mightily over the last 24 hours. As of 
right now, we know 23 people have lost their lives--23--and as we 
speak, rescue teams and first responders are still out searching for 
others who may have been hurt. We pray that we have seen the last of 
the loss of life, but that is to be determined.
  Already, this is one of the deadliest storms in our State's history, 
and Louise and I want to offer our most sincere condolences to all of 
those who have been affected by this horrible event. The youngest 
victim we know of was only 6 years old. My heart goes out to all the 
folks who have lost loved ones, who suffered damage to their homes and 
their businesses, and I ask that everyone pray for their comfort and 
healing.
  I also thank the courageous first responders who put their lives on 
the line time and again to help folks in need. Our rescue crews are 
working around the clock, and we are so grateful to them for the work 
they do every day but especially on days like today and yesterday after 
tragedies like these strike. These are our friends and neighbors who 
step up in the wake of disaster to help their community, sometimes--
sometimes--while struggling with the tragedy on a very personal level 
themselves.
  Unfortunately, this is an all-too-familiar sight in Alabama. We have 
seen our fair share of natural disasters. On a single day in 2011, an 
estimated 60 tornadoes devastated so many towns and cities, including 
Cullman, Hackleburg, Pratt City, and Tuscaloosa, killing over 200 
people. All of these have a way of being personal.
  That day was especially personal for my wife, Louise, who is from 
Cullman. I was out of town that day attending a judicial conference and 
called her as she was watching on television how her town was being 
destroyed, debris flying everywhere, and she could barely speak. She 
can still barely speak about it today. As U.S. attorney, in April of 
1998, I saw firsthand the devastating damage to the Oak Grove and 
Edgewater communities, where 32 people lost their lives. That 
destruction in Edgewater was especially personal to me because that is 
where my grandparents lived for so many years and where my parents 
lived when I was first born. I can remember walking that day across the 
slab that was left of the little church my parents attended when I was 
born, walking across with President Clinton. It is unbelievable to 
witness that kind of damage.
  Jacksonville, AL, is still rebuilding after a tornado severely 
damaged their city last year, including the campus of Jacksonville 
State University. Last fall, Hurricane Michael ravaged our farmlands in 
the Wiregrass in South Alabama, destroying cotton crops that were ready 
for harvest and 30-year-old timber. Yesterday's tornadoes touched down 
at a time when North Alabama is already dealing with historic flooding 
in Cherokee County.
  I mentioned, it just seems all too often these have a personal note. 
As I checked in with my staff last night, I realized that two of my 
staffers who are with me on the floor today, Garrett and Michael, also 
are from that area. They also are concerned. It is a horrible situation 
to be this far away, knowing what is going on in your hometown and not 
knowing whether your loved ones are in the path of that destruction.
  Alabama, however, is a resilient place, and we have an incredibly 
capable disaster preparedness and response agency, one that works 
around the clock when needed, but given all we have faced over the past 
year, we will still need help. While there is much yet to be done in 
the immediate aftermath of this storm, we know a full recovery will 
take a great deal of time and resources.
  So I am here tonight to ask my colleagues in the Senate to stand 
ready to help Lee County rebuild and heal. Disasters will strike all of 
our communities at some point or another, and that makes it all the 
more important that we work together when they do.
  To the folks in Lee County, AL, who have lost everything and who have 
lost loved ones in this disaster, I am in this with you for the long 
haul. I promise you that. I know things will never be the same for many 
folks, but I do promise that I will do everything I can to help.
  I have already been working with Senators Perdue, Isakson, and others 
to secure disaster funding for the 2018 storms that hit the Southeast 
last year. We are hoping that we can get an agreement on that bill very 
soon and get it onto the President's desk so those farmers can be ready 
for the next planting season that they are about to go into.
  In the days ahead, I am going to be working closely with colleagues 
here in the Senate to secure Federal disaster funding that includes Lee 
County, AL, because, despite the fact that we are in the early stages, 
it is easy to see from the photographs and the videos of the 
devastation that they will need it.
  We have been in touch with Governor Ivey and other local officials 
about how we in the Senate can best help. As the dust settles, we will 
be down there to try to make sure that our offices do what is necessary 
to help those fine people.
  In the face of all of these terrible tragedies, the thing that gives 
me hope is the strength of my fellow Alabamians. They are an amazing--
amazing--citizenry. From one end of the State to the other, they are 
amazing people who see tragedy, but they build on that tragedy. Yet 
they never lose hope. Even though an event like this can be incredibly 
difficult, I have seen the resolve of the people of Alabama, and I know 
that we will be able to rise and rebuild.
  Thank you.