[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19593]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              WEST VIRGINIA RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 6, 2005

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all West Virginians, our 
thoughts and prayers are with the countless many whose lives were 
disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. We extend our hope that families will 
be reunited, lives will continue to be saved and, in time, homes and 
towns will be rebuilt.
  Once again, when it mattered most, West Virginians have risen to the 
occasion. Hurricane Katrina dealt us a big blow last week, and reaction 
to this disaster will probably be analyzed long after our people have 
recovered and our cities have been reconstructed. But it is with great 
certainty that I tell you no one will question the swift reaction of 
West Virginia, among the first states to roll up its sleeves and roll 
out its resources.
  West Virginia has had its share of devastating floods in recent years 
and has learned how to rapidly organize its agencies following an 
emergency. Because of this, we were able to mobilize quickly in 
response to the calls of help from the governors.
  Three West Virginia Air National Guard C-130 cargo planes flew in 200 
evacuees from New Orleans late Saturday and early Sunday. Most of these 
evacuees are now housed at the Camp Dawson Army Training Site in 
Preston County. As of Monday morning, five C-130 Hercules cargo planes 
from West Virginia stand ready in Texas to bring back about 400 
evacuees from the Houston Astrodome.
  Six crews from our State's Air National Guard--four from the 
Charleston-based 130th Airlift Wing, which just two weeks ago was saved 
from the chopping block by the BRAC Commission, and two from the 
Martinsburg-based 167th Airlift Wing--have been sent to aid storm 
victims.
  In addition to these ongoing National Guard efforts, our Secretary of 
Military Affairs and Public Safety Jim Spears, the National Guard and 
the State Police continue to work directly with the homeland security 
officials in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on formulating an action 
plan to assist victims who have lost their homes and are in desperate 
need of a place to stay.
  Our citizens, too, have wasted no time in pitching in. They never do.
  Marshall University has waived all application and late fees for 
students displaced by Hurricane Katrina who wish to take classes during 
the fall semester.
  Marshall students, faculty and staff have begun making plans for a 
relief effort for victims of Katrina. Thunder Relief 2005 will be a 
joint effort in response to the devastation from the disaster in 
Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. All donations raised from 
the effort will go to the American Red Cross. And at the medical 
school, Dr. Robert B. Walker is serving as a liaison officer for any 
medical personnel in hurricane-stricken areas who need to get 
Marshall's assistance in transferring patients or providing medical or 
other required public health resources.
  In my hometown of Beckley, West Virginia, the Beckley Christian 
Ministerial Alliance, spearheaded by the Rev. David F. Allen, is 
collecting donations from area congregations through the month of 
September, with a presentation of the donations to the Red Cross 
scheduled for September 30.
  There are other countless community and individual efforts going on 
across our state: Fish fries, barbecues and spaghetti dinners in small 
towns, bucket brigades at stoplights, donations from widows on fixed 
budgets, from children with piggy-banks full of carefully saved 
pennies. A drop in the bucket might only be a drop, but when it's all 
added up, our residents are giving a little hope to those who need it 
the most.
  As a West Virginian, I am proud of the way both our State leaders and 
residents have responded to this disaster. Like any good neighbor, they 
opened their doors and their hearts to those in need. Our friends to 
the South can count on West Virginia.

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