[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2253-S2254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Texas Wildfires

  Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, on Monday of this week, I visited the towns 
of Fritch and Borger in the Panhandle of Texas.
  Fritch is a town of roughly 1,800 residents. They are no strangers to 
hard times. In 1992, a tornado a mile wide ripped through the town and 
destroyed over 1,300 homes. Ten years ago, in 2014, a wildfire in 
Fritch destroyed over 100 homes. In the past week and a half, Fritch 
and the rest of the Texas Panhandle, and the Oklahoma Panhandle as 
well, have been dealing with devastating wildfires.
  When I was there on Monday, 242 homes had been lost. I met with local 
officials, county judges, mayors, the police chiefs, fire chiefs, 
volunteers at churches, and charities. I met with families who have 
been devastated and lost everything.
  I saw homes that had been burned beyond recognition. At one home I 
saw, outside was parked a truck that had been utterly burned and 
charred. The heat was so intense that the windshield glass had melted, 
and there were just pools of glass on the hood. I also saw, in front of 
a house, a motorcycle--I think it was a Harley--that had been utterly 
incinerated. The tires were burned and gone. I saw a boat--I think it 
was a bass boat, a fishing boat--again, utterly incinerated, nothing 
but fiberglass just melted on the ground.
  One of the officials I met with was Volunteer Fire Chief Zeb Smith. I 
met with Chief Smith on Monday. Less than 24 hours after, Chief Smith 
passed away fighting that wildfire, running into a home that was on 
fire, trying to stop the blaze. He had been fighting fires for 9 days 
straight when he entered that home first thing Tuesday morning.
  On Monday, I asked Chief Smith: Have any firefighters been injured 
yet? He said: ``Thankfully, no.''
  Neither he nor I knew when we were having that conversation that, 24 
hours later, he would be first, and he would give his life to save his 
community.
  These wildfires have been raging for a week and a half, and they 
devastated communities like Fritch all the way from Lake Meredith to 
Canadian. One of the fires, the Smokehouse Creek fire, is the largest 
wildfire in Texas history and the second largest in our Nation's 
history. The scar from these fires can be seen from space, and they 
currently cover more acreage than the entire State of Rhode Island.

  These fires have had a devastating impact on farmers and ranchers in 
Texas. More than 500 structures have been lost, and 10,000 miles' worth 
of barbed wire has been destroyed. It is still unclear exactly how many 
cattle have perished, but we know it is thousands upon thousands of 
cattle that have been taken by the fire.
  I texted a good friend of mine who lives in Canadian. I told her I 
was thinking of her and just asked how she was doing and how she was 
doing with the fires. I didn't expect her response.
  She responded: Well, not too well. My home burned down, so did my 
barn, and I lost half my cattle.
  But then she responded: Do you know what? I am actually feeling 
pretty lucky because the ranchers on both sides of me lost all their 
cattle.
  I have to say I prayed for my friend. I prayed for all the men and 
women in the panhandle. But that response also embodies the frontier 
spirit. These are tough Texans.
  The destruction we are seeing is enormous. Throughout all of this, to 
date, there have been only three deaths attributed to the wildfires. 
That is extraordinary given the magnitude of this disaster as there 
could easily have been scores and scores of deaths. That is a testament 
to the firefighters and

[[Page S2254]]

the first responders in the panhandle who have been tirelessly working 
to get people out of harm's way and to contain the fires. At times, the 
fires have been traveling more than 200 yards per second. That is how 
fast these fires have been moving.
  Right now, as this disaster is unfolding in Texas, the first priority 
is to contain these fires, to put them out. Texans are working to stop 
their spread. The weather has been a big factor. A few days ago, 
fortunately, there was some cold. There was some wet weather with snow 
and ice. That slowed the fires some, but then the weather got drier and 
windier, which are ideal conditions for spreading fire. So, right now, 
there are firefighters heroically battling massive fires, risking their 
lives.
  When I was there, I was told that over 60 fire departments from 
across Texas and across the country have sent firefighters to battle 
the blaze. Monday night, I was at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, 
and I saw the Houston fire chief. He told me Houston had sent 
firefighters all the way up to the panhandle to help battle the blaze.
  To anyone in the panhandle who sees this, I want to ask you: Please 
listen very, very carefully to your local officials. Listen to 
emergency responders. If they give you an evacuation order, treat it 
seriously. Keep your families safe. At the end of the day, it is tragic 
when someone loses a home, but a home can be replaced. Your family 
members cannot.
  This fire is dangerous, and our first priority needs to be preserving 
life and getting people out of harm's way. The second step is to shift 
to relief and rebuilding, and rebuilding is a process that is going to 
take years. In the short term, there are charities that have stepped up 
and are engaged, including the Salvation Army and the Red Cross and 
their local churches.
  You know, I want to say something. I have been in the Senate for 12 
years. Texas is a big State, and as a big State, we have our share of 
natural disasters--from hurricanes ravaging the gulf coast, to 
tornadoes doing enormous devastation, to this wildfire raging in the 
panhandle right now. As Texas's Senator, it is my responsibility to 
stand with those communities in a time of crisis and in the aftermath 
rebuilding.
  Every time we have had a natural disaster in Texas, it is 
heartbreaking when you see the loss of life and the suffering, but, 
consistently, it is also inspiring. It is inspiring because of the 
reaction of Texans in a time of crisis. They come together, Texans 
helping Texans, holding on to each other, supporting each other.
  When Hurricane Harvey hit the gulf coast and home after home was 
flooded, I remember Texans would go and rescue their neighbors. They 
were jumping on bass boats because the streets were flooded, and they 
would go from house to house, pulling people out of harm's way. 
Rednecks in bass boats is what I called them, and it was the spirit of 
Texas. The beauty in that time is there are no partisan divisions. 
There are no Republicans and Democrats. People don't care about race or 
ethnicity or religion. It is just Texans helping Texans. That is what I 
saw in Fritch and Borger, that same spirit of Texans helping Texans.
  I will tell you, in a time of crisis, the church steps up, and the 
church should. The church should show love.
  When I was in the panhandle, I stopped at multiple churches and 
relief centers. I thanked the volunteers who were there. They were 
giving out food. They were giving out water. They were giving out 
diapers. They were giving out supplies for people who had lost 
everything, and I thanked them.
  I visited with one woman whose home had burned down, and her 
daughter's home had burned down. Yet, I will tell you, she was smiling 
and was in good spirits.
  She said: Do you know what? My family is alive and safe.
  I mentioned that, in Fritch, 242 homes had burned down. The county 
judge told me, though, there were only half a dozen people in the local 
shelter they had stood up because everyone else whose home had burned 
down was presumably staying with friends or family or loved ones. It 
was other Texans who said: Hey, you lost your home; come stay with me. 
That is inspiring. It is powerful. That is what Texans do.
  There are also things we can and should do at the Federal level to 
help the panhandle. With every local official, I assured: Do you have 
the Federal resources you need? Do you have the assistance right now in 
crisis?
  Then, going forward, my office has been working hand in hand with 
State officials and local officials and is beginning to coordinate 
Federal resources to fight the fires. Indeed, I have already filed an 
amendment to the minibus the Senate is considering right now to 
increase the funding for wildfire relief to help the people impacted by 
this. I will continue working on measures to provide disaster relief 
for Texans in harm's way--from the people who have lost their homes to 
our ranchers who have suffered the devastating loss of livestock. We 
need to stand with the panhandle and help recover from this historic 
disaster.
  There is an old panhandle saying up there that people have 
``Panhandle Spirit''--a spirit of humility; a spirit of companionship; 
a spirit that when a neighbor needs help, by God, you help him. The 
whole country has seen that spirit in the past few days. Thousands of 
bales of hay and cattle feed have been trucked up daily from ranchers 
wanting to help out fellow ranchers. Hundreds of pallets of water and 
food and clothes have been donated to help people in need.
  That same spirit that built Texas is the same spirit that makes the 
Lone Star State so unique. That is the spirit that keeps our 
firefighters fighting the blazes, that keeps our ranchers rebuilding 
the fences and people picking up the pieces and rerooting in the land 
they love.
  Together, with that same spirit and that same determination that 
people in the Panhandle Plains have had for generations, we will 
rebuild. We will come back even stronger than ever.
  God bless our firefighters, and God bless our first responders. God 
bless all the Texans who have lost their homes in the past few days and 
those Texans who have lost loved ones. We are praying for you, and we 
will help you rebuild.
  I would like to close by again talking about Chief Smith.
  The loss of Zeb Smith has left a huge hole in the community. On 
social media, the Fritch Volunteer Fire Department wrote:

       Just know that right now we are not OK. We love our chief, 
     our brother, our friend. Please be patient with us.

  The Hutchinson County Office of Emergency Management team stated 
about Chief Smith:

       His exemplary leadership was evident in his tireless 
     efforts over the past week, where he worked diligently to 
     protect and safeguard his community and fellow citizens.

  Chief Smith was a hero. His name will not be forgotten. In his honor, 
I had a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to recognize his heroic 
service. Chief Smith gave his life on Tuesday of this week so that his 
fellow Texans could live.
  To the family and friends and loved ones of Chief Smith, we are 
mourning with you, and we are celebrating a life well lived.
  May God bless the people of Texas. We will defeat these wildfires.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.