[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 6, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PRAISING ILWACO COMMUNITY RESILIENCY

  (Ms. PEREZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PEREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today in praise of the resilience of 
my community in southwest Washington.
  Last month, a fire broke out at one of two seafood processing 
facilities near the Port of Ilwaco in my district. In the aftermath of 
the catastrophic fire, the unity and support demonstrated by the Ilwaco 
community have been remarkable.
  Whereas lesser men would have seen an opportunity for competitive 
advantage, these folks chose to stand together and see each other as 
neighbors, lending out crab pots to each other, which they didn't have 
to do.
  I am incredibly grateful to come from a community that supports each 
other in the wake of a tragedy. Their community spirit is a competitive 
advantage that money cannot buy and natural disasters cannot shake.
  I extend my thanks to the brave first responders who responded to the 
fire. Several of them were treated for heat exhaustion, a testament to 
their tireless effort in combating the blaze for hours.
  I also recognize the folks in Ilwaco who stepped up to help local 
crabbers, dropping off sandwiches and shipping up crab pots from as far 
as California and Alaska.
  Rebuilding and recovery will take time. They will never get back 
those hours of sleep, the heartache, or the monetary loss, but their 
moral fiber has been revealed in a way that is durable and will 
strengthen the community. It is its own reward.
  Madam Speaker, I stand with them in their fight, and I am so grateful 
for their leadership.

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