[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17767]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            TOWN OF DECATUR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE PENCE

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2003

  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, as the American people saw on national 
television this morning, the Indiana flood of 2003 moved forward at a 
heartbreaking, record-setting pace.
  The St. Mary's River in Decatur, IN, crested last night at nearly 28 
feet, an all-time historic high for that river and the Wabash River as 
well.
  But, because of the work of local heroes like Decatur Mayor Fred 
Isch, Fire Chief David Brinneman, State Master Sergeant Roger 
Popplewell, and National Guard Unit Leader Sergeant Mike Heister, 
thousands of volunteers filled more than 176,000 sandbags in Decatur, 
IN alone.
  And when the St. Mary's River crested, it did not break the levee. 
There are so many to be commended, but I remember two in particular--
Decatur police officer Mark Cook, who organized the sandbag filling at 
the Wal-Mart parking lot and even 13-year-old Melanie Vergary who went 
out and worked and stuffed bags.
  The chaplain said today that ``unless the Lord watches over the 
city'' and surely, Mr. Speaker, we would ask the Lord to watch over 
this city and all the cities in Indiana affected by the flood of 2003 
and all those who labored to protect them.

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