[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 8, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING FREMONT OEM AND DOT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BRITTANY PETTERSEN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2024

  Ms. PETTERSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Fremont 
County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Department of 
Transportation (DOT) for their lifesaving work to keep roads clear and 
restore power during a record-breaking winter storm in March of 2024. 
This harsh winter storm brought over thirteen inches of snow and caused 
major power outages throughout the county.
  Staff from the Fremont County Office of Emergency Management, led by 
Emergency Manager Mykel Kroll, and the Fremont County Department of 
Transportation, led by Director Mike Whitt, worked overtime and over 
weekends throughout inclement weather conditions to clear roadways and 
restore traffic to over 700 miles of mountainous roadways in the 
county. Together, they freed an elderly woman who had been trapped in 
her car by the snow, secured housing for a family who were victims of a 
fire, restored power to a residential care facility in Florence, 
rescued a man caught in his vehicle after an avalanche, and helped 
maintain power for a family with a young child who relies on a 
supplemental oxygen supply.
  Under some of the most extreme conditions possible, Fremont County 
OEM and DOT did an exemplary job of saving lives and serving our 
community during this storm.
  On behalf of the people of Colorado's Seventh Congressional District, 
it is my honor to recognize Fremont County Office of Emergency 
Management and Department of Transportation for their outstanding work 
and service to our communities.

                          ____________________