[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 145 (Tuesday, August 10, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING OUT-OF-STATE URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE TASK FORCES

  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the 
bravery and selfless service of the individuals who responded to the 
building collapse in Surfside, FL, on June 24, 2021.
  I want to thank the out-of-State Urban Search and Rescue--USAR--teams 
from Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and emergency 
specialists from California for responding when the Champlain Towers 
South condo building in Surfside, FL, suddenly collapsed in the middle 
of the night. They swiftly heeded the call of duty to provide search, 
rescue, and recovery efforts following the collapse. In the face of 
tremendous tragedy, they ran into danger. They are heroes.
  More than 440 USAR members from New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, 
Pennsylvania, and Indiana were on the ground in Surfside to help 
supplement the search and rescue efforts. Florida is grateful for the 
outpouring of support from our fellow Americans. We are grateful for 
the task force teams that came from all over the country, traveling 
thousands of miles to work alongside local, State, Federal, and 
international counterparts in the relentless search for survivors. 
Their presence and efforts brought great comfort to the community and 
helped provide closure to the families of the victims.
  Rescue crews worked tirelessly following the collapse, even when 
smoke and heat from a fire inside the building's standing portion 
hampered their efforts. They persisted when the temperatures escalated 
so much that some needed IVs to replenish fluids. They continued on 
when Tropical Storm Elsa passed nearby and dumped torrential rain. They 
left the pile only when they absolutely had to. They left their 
families back home and put it all on the line for the Surfside 
community. They braved conditions that the likes of us couldn't ever 
imagine.
  I also want to thank the search and rescue dogs for their hard work 
to support search, rescue and recovery efforts. We cannot thank these 
brave men, women, and canine units enough. They are heroes who stepped 
up to serve the community in the wake of unprecedented and unimaginable 
disaster. Not only did they help lead the search, rescue, and recovery 
operation, they provided endless care and compassion to the families of 
Surfside and did everything they could to bring closure to those who 
lost loved ones.
  We are incredibly grateful to these heroes and their families for 
their bravery, self-sacrifice, and determination in the face of this 
terrible tragedy. Ann and I are praying for the Surfside community, our 
Jewish community, the families and loved ones of the lost, and all of 
those who worked tirelessly to serve the Surfside community.

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