[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 25258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Drake). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. McCAUL of Texas. Madam Speaker, the people in the gulf coast 
States have always lived with the threat of devastating tropical 
weather, including hurricanes. In fact, the worst natural disaster to 
ever befall America was the Galveston hurricane of 1900.
  To this day, I personally know many families who lost loved ones in 
this horrific hurricane some 105 years ago. In fact, my grandfather, 
who was only 8 years old at the time, barely survived the devastation, 
while some 10,000 perished trying to overcome the high waters.
  My grandfather was heroically saved by rescuers who found him 
clinging to a tree in the flooded streets of Galveston. Sadly, it seems 
that history and nature have a way of repeating themselves.
  Like in the Galveston hurricane of 1900, the streets of New Orleans 
were flooded to the tops of trees and homes by Hurricane Katrina, and 
people relied on the goodwill of others to survive that devastation. To 
that end, my home State of Texas has done an outstanding job in the 
Katrina relief effort, persevering in the face of Hurricane Rita, which 
made landfall on the Texas coast 1 month after Hurricane Katrina.
  It goes without saying that our hearts and prayers are with those who 
are fighting for their lives and their communities and the areas hit by 
these hurricanes. Despite their dire situation, I know how brave and 
capable the people are in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. 
They will overcome the damage and fully recover. They will rebuild and 
return home as they were meant to, but they will need our help and 
support.
  Before Hurricane Rita hit, I visited the Katrina relief efforts in my 
district, and Vice President Cheney and I met with the Texas Emergency 
Management Agency. They used computer models to demonstrate the effects 
of a hurricane similar to Katrina hitting the Texas coast. The images 
revealed that Galveston Island could be completely submerged and the 
streets of Houston flooded if a strong hurricane were to hit that 
region.
  At the time, we could not have known that this similar scenario would 
play itself out in Texas in just a matter of days. Fortunately, 
Galveston and the greater Houston area were saved; and unlike Galveston 
a hundred years ago, there was no direct loss of life due to Hurricane 
Rita. This is due to the efforts of the real heroes of the State and 
local first responders who protected life before the storm struck.
  To that end I would like to thank everyone who has stepped forward 
and helped the hurricane victims by donating, volunteering, and working 
together to overcome this tragedy, especially Texas Governor Rick 
Perry; Austin Mayor Will Wynn; Houston Mayor Bill White; Katy Mayor 
Doyle Callendar; Tomball Mayor, Hap Harrington; Harris County Judge 
Robert Eckels; Ann Hodge and the Katy Chamber of Commerce; Bruce 
Hillegeist and the Tomball Chamber of Commerce; Tomball Fire Department 
Chief Randy Parr; and the Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. 
Their leadership, persevering through sheer tragedy, has been 
invaluable to the response and recovery process from both storms.
  This cooperation partnership, brotherhood, community and faith, all 
succeeding in the face of absolute disaster, is truly an example of the 
resilience of the American spirit.
  If nothing, this can teach us that if we plan ahead and work 
together, we can save lives and overcome the worst of nature's fury. 
This common bond is our duty as friends, as neighbors, and as 
Americans.

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