[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[House]
[Pages 28654-28659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND SUPPORTING THE VICTIMS OF THE 
                     SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 778) honoring the first responders and supporting 
the victims of the Southern California wildfires.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 778

       Whereas beginning on October 21, 2007, Southern California 
     experienced a number of devastating wildfires destroying over 
     five-hundred-thousand acres--the largest in the history of 
     California--and over fourteen-hundred homes and countless 
     other properties;
       Whereas high temperatures and erratic winds caused the 
     multiple fires to rapidly progress in the counties of 
     Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San 
     Bernardino, and San Diego;
       Whereas loss of life and serious injuries have resulted 
     from the fires;
       Whereas approximately one million residents of Southern 
     California have been forced to evacuate their homes and 
     businesses due to the fires;
       Whereas the effect of the wildfires on Southern California 
     families and businesses is still being felt;
       Whereas thousands of firefighters from California and 
     neighboring states and countries continue to respond to the 
     fires, risking health and safety and exhibiting resilience 
     and courage to rescue residents and fight the blazes;
       Whereas over 2,500 National Guardsmen and other active duty 
     military personnel are actively engaged in supporting 
     firefighters and relief operations;

[[Page 28655]]

       Whereas additional emergency personnel, such as law 
     enforcement and medical personnel, have coordinated with 
     local authorities and firefighters and have performed beyond 
     the call of duty in the preservation and protection of human 
     lives;
       Whereas hundreds of volunteers took time from their daily 
     lives to help ensure that evacuated families are sheltered, 
     clothed, fed, and emotionally comforted through this 
     traumatic event;
       Whereas it is clear that the continued commitment and 
     heroism exhibited by firefighters have saved countless lives, 
     homes, and businesses;
       Whereas the people of California and the nation recognize 
     that the dedication of firefighters will remain steadfast 
     throughout the ongoing efforts; and
       Whereas a major Federal disaster declaration was issued on 
     October 24, 2007; Now therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--(1) recognizes 
     and honors the heroic service, actions, and sacrifices of 
     first responders, National Guardsmen, and law enforcement 
     personnel, state and local officials, volunteers, and others 
     who participated in responding to the October 21, 2007 
     outbreak of wildfires in Southern California;
       (2) expresses its commitment to the residents of Southern 
     California as they begin to rebuild their community and their 
     lives; and (3) vows its full support to and solidarity with 
     the state of California.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Clay) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in 
consideration of House Resolution 778, a resolution that recognizes and 
honors the heroic service, actions, and sacrifices of first responders, 
National Guardsmen, volunteers, and others who participated in 
responding to the outbreak of wildfires in Southern California. House 
Resolution 778, which has 53 cosponsors, was introduced by 
Representative Zoe Lofgren.
  Mr. Speaker, wildfires in Southern California have destroyed over 
1,000 homes and scorched more than 400,000 acres. From San Diego to 
Malibu, hundreds of thousands were warned to leave their homes. More 
than 250,000 were told to flee in San Diego County alone. There were at 
least 18 different wildfires in Southern California.
  I commend my colleague, Representative Lofgren, for seeking to honor 
the first responders and to express full support to the victims of the 
Southern California wildfires and urge the swift passage of this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of this resolution honoring 
and recognizing the heroic efforts of the firefighters and other first 
responders to the fires in Southern California.
  Mr. Speaker, I think we should take a moment to ponder what happens 
when a situation like this occurs. A disaster occurs and people appear, 
seemingly out of nowhere, to offer every type of help and assistance. 
They are organized and disciplined and effective and precise. They are 
heroic and swift and knowledgeable and kind.
  But who are they? Who are these men and women who drive toward the 
disaster when the rest of us drive away? Who leaves behind his home and 
family for perhaps weeks on end and goes to help others? Who sets up 
the shelters and the medical aid stations? Who helps seniors and the 
infirm evacuate? Who rushes to save Los Angeles and Ventura and Orange 
and Riverside and Santa Barbara and San Bernardino and San Diego?
  In the case of California, about 2,500 citizen soldiers, we call them 
National Guardsmen, have raced to the rescue. So have countless numbers 
of firefighters, law enforcement, and medical personnel.
  We owe these people and their families a debt of gratitude. We 
couldn't do what they do. Thank God they can.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, as Chair of the 
California Democratic delegation, I rise along with Speaker Pelosi, 
Chairman Waxman, and my Republican colleagues to honor the heroic 
services, actions, and sacrifices of our first responders, State and 
local officials, volunteers, and others who participated in responding 
to last week's devastating outbreak of wildfires in Southern 
California.
  This was the worst outbreak of wildfires in California history. Over 
500,000 acres burned, nearly 1 million residents evacuated, over 3,000 
residential and commercial properties destroyed or damaged, 116 
reported injuries, seven reported fatalities.
  I have no doubt that the quick and valiant response of our 
firefighters, police officers, National Guard, and thousands of 
selfless volunteers saved lives and hundreds of millions of dollars. 
The State of California owes these brave men and women our gratitude. 
California and our Nation also owes a debt of gratitude to our 
neighbors, Canada and Mexico, for volunteering their own firefighters 
and equipment.
  I would also like to commend the cities, counties, and State for 
showing great leadership and preparedness in dealing with this 
disaster. Leadership at the local and State government levels allowed 
for effective coordination with Federal agencies in the allocation of 
resources and making sure our residents were out of harm's way.
  Because of the change in weather pattern, coupled with the 
extraordinary efforts of firefighters, we are now beginning to contain 
most of these fires and are closing the evacuation shelters. However, 
many families are going back to literally ruins of their former homes, 
lives, and communities.
  I ask that all of my colleagues continue to stand with our California 
neighbors as they begin to rebuild their lives. The fires may be dying 
down, but the emotional impact and financial hardship faced by these 
families are only beginning.
  With the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Senators Feinstein and Boxer, 
and Chairman Dicks, we hope to quickly move an emergency appropriations 
bill to help the rebuilding process for the families, cities, and 
counties affected by this devastating wildfire.
  This resolution today, cosponsored by every single member of our 53-
member-strong bipartisan delegation is, I believe, the first 
legislative step forward for Congress to meet the needs of California 
as she recovers from this disaster.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very good friend from Tennessee 
(Mr. Duncan) for yielding me time.
  I thank Mr. Clay for his management of this measure. And I join with 
my colleagues, Ms. Lofgren and the Republicans who have joined as 
cosponsors of this very important resolution.
  A week ago at this time, Mr. Speaker, there were no fewer than 14 
major fires with hundreds of thousands of acres on fire in Southern 
California. As we know, nearly 2,000 homes were destroyed in those 
fires and we went through a number of very, very challenging days 
through last week. And while we still have fires raging, we have had a 
great deal of success. We have had a great deal of success in the 
aftermath of these fires due to the stellar leadership provided by 
Governor Schwarzenegger; by President Bush; and our Secretary of 
Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff; the Director of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, David Paulison; and a wide range of other 
local governments involved. And I have to say the leadership of our 
congressional delegation has really been a great example.
  We are joined on the floor here by my friend from San Diego (Mr. 
Bilbray) whose district was impacted. And last Thursday I had the 
privilege of traveling with our colleagues, Senator

[[Page 28656]]

Feinstein, and I see Congressman Filner is here as well from San Diego, 
and others who joined with the members of the San Diego delegation who 
were there to have the chance to see firsthand the devastation that was 
caused by these fires.
  Brian Bilbray is someone who has, time and time again, stepped up to 
the plate to deal with challenges that he has faced in the San Diego 
area, and what we saw last Thursday was another example. He was able to 
take the Governor of California and the President of the United States 
to meet individually with those who had been victimized by the fires 
and for all of us to join with Mr. Filner and Mrs. Davis and Mr. Issa 
and Mr. Hunter in talking to those firefighters who have come from all 
over, not just the State of California but from around the country.

                              {time}  1530

  Now, Mr. Speaker, the State of California is the State that is best 
equipped to deal with the disaster of fires. And I say that because 
California has this very unique structure known as a Unified Command. 
Now, what that consists of is, rather than having these disparate 
firefighting organizations come into an area and take on the issue of 
dealing with fire, the Unified Command means that the highest ranking 
fire official, the fire chief in a particular area that knows that 
county, with the canyons and the valleys and the challenges 
geographically that they face, is there to provide the direction and 
the leadership. And that is the reason, Mr. Speaker, that we have had 
such success within the past week in dealing with what was described by 
a 36-year veteran battalion chief from San Diego as the worst fire that 
he has ever seen in California's history.
  I also want to say that I express appreciation to our colleagues from 
all across the country. We have, again, firefighters who came from 
around California and around the country; and I know it was in large 
part due to the encouragement that our bipartisan Congress, that 
Members on both sides of the aisle of the Congress, from both the House 
and the Senate, have provided in encouraging these courageous 
firefighters to come forward and provide the assistance necessary.
  There are going to be challenging days ahead, as my colleague, Ms. 
Lofgren, said, Mr. Speaker. We obviously are going to have to deal with 
continued fighting of the fires and also rebuilding. And there also 
will be, I believe, a very important debate as we look at the days and 
weeks and months ahead, and I'm talking about the challenge we face in 
dealing with disasters.
  We know that fire is just one of the multifarious disasters that we 
deal with in California. There are disasters that hit other parts of 
the country. I think we need to have a debate on the role that the 
Federal Government plays in dealing with these disasters. I have talked 
with a number of people who are interested in now getting involved, the 
Center for Strategic International Studies, John Hamre there, I've 
talked to Director Paulison about this.
  We have, again, a great deal of work, but at this time, this 
resolution is designed to focus on the fires in California and express 
our appreciation for the support that has been provided, and also our 
thoughts and prayers for those who have been victimized by this.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding, and I thank all 
those who have been involved in supporting this resolution.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 3 minutes 
to my friend from California (Mr. Baca).
  Mr. BACA. First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Clay in reference 
to H.R. 778. I would also like to thank my good friend Zoe Lofgren for 
her work with the California delegation and her leadership in bringing 
this resolution to the floor in a bipartisan fashion. And I state ``in 
a bipartisan fashion'' because it impacts the whole State of 
California.
  Last week's disaster was a painful time for all of us in the 
communities of Southern California. Recent estimates show that the fire 
destroyed over 2,800 structures, including over 2,000 homes. And the 
fires also destroyed more than 500 acres of land in an area that 
doubles the size of New York City.
  Seven people were killed, 113 firefighters and 26 civilians were 
injured, and I state, 113 firefighters and 26 civilians were injured. 
These are people that were willing to fight the fires to save not only 
their own, but to save the lives of many individuals who were impacted.
  This past weekend, I had a chance to see the devastation firsthand 
and visit with many of our evacuees in the shelter included in my 
district, with a total of 4,000 that we evacuated into the district at 
the Orange County Fairgrounds in my area. And while we can never really 
understand the losses suffered by so many, we share their pain. We 
share their pain.
  We stand together today united as one House first and foremost to say 
thank you for the heroic actions and sacrifices of the first 
responders. And I say ``the first responders,'' the firefighters who 
are willing to put themselves on the line to save many others, law 
enforcement officers, the National Guard, and many of the volunteers.
  We also stand here to say to the people of Southern California, we 
are with you. We are committed to rebuilding our homes and communities 
in California and rebuilding the lives of those who have lost so much. 
Our first priority right now is to make sure that everyone is housed, 
clothed and fed, and after that we will begin to rebuild. But once the 
smoke is cleared, we will work towards a long-term solution to do 
everything we can to prevent disasters like this from ever happening 
again.
  We have to take a realistic look at the situation. All data indicates 
that the fires nationwide are increasing in size and intensity. Those 
of us in Congress must respond to these warnings. Our planet is 
changing; we must acknowledge that. We need to meet the new challenges 
we are facing. We need to better fund our firefighters and our Forest 
Service. And we have to take a serious look at where we build our 
developments.
  We must do everything in our power to prevent destruction of life, 
property, and our environment. Let us take the time to reflect on what 
we have lost. And we thank God, and I say we thank God for what we 
still have. Let us say thanks to those heroes who pulled us through 
this horrible week. Let all those who have lost a home or a loved one 
know that we stand with you.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Imperial Beach, California, my friend, Mr. Bilbray.
  Mr. BILBRAY. I thank the gentleman. It's Solano Beach, California. I 
know one beach is like the other. I was raised in one, but live in 
Carlsbad. But I would just like to clarify.
  This resolution is recognizing the men and women who were fighting on 
the front line. And I think there are two big advantages we had in San 
Diego. San Diego County lost over 1,500 homes. Many of those homes 
could have been saved under all kinds of different theories. But the 
fact is we had one great advantage that we did not lose more. And it 
was not just the men and women who were fighting on the line that you 
saw on television, but it was the men and women who serve in a very 
unique California experience called the Unified Disaster Council, where 
San Diego County itself houses the chairman of the county, and every 
mayor, police chief and fire chief in a system of networks, with a 
common communications system, with a common planning system toward the 
local providers who were able to provide the base and the foundation 
for State and Federal agencies to come in and build upon. And that was 
essential.
  And if there was any lesson that I would hope the people of the 
United States would take from our tragedy that we had in our county was 
that preparedness starts at the local level, and that you can never 
expect a State or Federal agency to replace the needed foundation and 
the networking that you have at the local level.

[[Page 28657]]

  So get your act together locally, communicate and build a system, 
because a crisis in one way or the other is coming your way. And San 
Diego, I was very proud, as the former chairman of the Disaster 
Preparedness Council, I was proud to see how far they have come along 
and how well they are organized.
  A lot of people may not know that a lot of the great savings we had, 
when the fires were moving towards my home in Carlsbad, my mother got 
the call over her phone through a thing called ``Reverse 911'' that 
notified her that she was in a warning area, needed to pack up and be 
ready to leave at a moment's notice. She was assured that if her area 
was becoming a danger zone, she would be notified by the same phone 
communication that had told her to prepare for that. This is the kind 
of local networks that we need to continue to build, not just in 
California, where we have historically done it through the county 
system, but throughout this Nation.
  I would ask, Mr. Speaker, that we also recognize that this 
infrastructure gave our men and women, the firefighters not just from 
San Diego County or Southern California, but from the entire State, 
from the north down to the south, gave us the capability to respond to 
this crisis in a way that I think those of us in California should be 
very proud of.
  The crisis has not passed totally; we still have threats out there. 
But the fact is I think we can build on building better communication 
between the Federal, State and local community. But the foundation has 
been set. And I would invite anyone who is interested in preparing 
their community for their crisis to try to learn from our mistakes and 
our successes in California and San Diego so that we can all build for 
a safer neighborhood. And when we do that preparation, we not only make 
ourselves safer, we protect those men and women that are firefighters 
to avoid their exposure to risk by us doing the right thing ahead of 
the fires.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Davis).
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, Kurt Vonnegut once said, ``I 
can think of no more stirring symbol of man's humanity to man than a 
fire engine,'' and I agree. Last week, my district in San Diego bore 
witness to extraordinary displays of humanity and resiliency as 
wildfires swept through our region.
  We owe a debt of gratitude to the firefighters, National Guard and 
military personnel who fought and continue to fight the fires on the 
ground and in the air. Some of them lost their homes, others were 
seriously injured, and all made enormous sacrifices to ensure public 
safety.
  The firefighters with whom I spoke, it has been mentioned that they 
came from throughout the State and beyond, said Mother Nature outdid 
them on this one, but they do not feel defeated, and instead they were 
anxious to get back to work performing their job.
  In addition, I think it bears repeating that San Diego County and 
City leadership should be commended for coordinating a quick and 
effective response. And I agree, San Diego region should be used as a 
model for the country. There is much that we have learned and much that 
we can also teach.
  Last week, firefighters caused the largest evacuation in California's 
history. As residents fled the fires, volunteers from all walks of life 
came forward to help the evacuees. I saw such a tremendous outpouring 
of compassion and support at the evacuation centers. San Diegans rolled 
up their sleeves and found a way to help their neighbors during this 
crisis.
  At Qualcomm Stadium, I spoke to a volunteer who is a professional 
tour guide. He realized he could put his organizational skills and 
strong voice to work at the relief center. The coordinators at the 
stadium agreed and assigned him to training volunteers.
  I also saw staff from the City's Park and Rec Department organizing 
entertainment for children and families, volunteers passing out food, 
and even massage therapists helping evacuees to relax.
  Although the majority of fires are now under control and many 
residents have left the evacuation centers, the San Diego region faces 
a lot of hard work in the months ahead. Our prayers go out to the many 
families who lost their homes.
  As the shock and heartbreaks subside, we must do everything in our 
power to ensure that full recovery is within sight as soon as possible. 
And as we think ahead, Mr. Speaker, to the precarious nature that we 
are in and the inevitability of future massive fires, we must also 
engage in the most serious discussions of lessons learned.
  I support House Resolution 778.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), a member of the committee.
  Mr. ISSA. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is an excellent example of bipartisan 
behavior in the drafting. It reflects quite well what we went through 
in California last week. Particularly, I take note of the fact that 
this was the largest fire because it had the most fuel. This is one of 
the challenges we face in California. We have hundreds of thousands of 
acres that may not have been cleared or burned in more than three 
decades. That continues to be a challenge. And this body has to take 
some initiative to correct that. We need to have the ability to clear 
areas before they burn. But even if we do, there will be fires.
  I would hope for many of the people that hear us today and read the 
Record of today's Journal that they will recognize that some of the 
information that perhaps was put out was incorrect over the airwaves. 
Many people talked in terms of too many people too close to wilderness.
  When the President visited Congressman Bilbray and my district, 
Rancho Bernardo, which is at the heart of our two districts, Rancho 
Bernardo is a suburban, ``Leave It to Beaver'' community. This is an 
area with an interstate on both sides of it. The fire went on both 
sides of a 10-lane interstate. It jumped it because 80-mile-an-hour 
winds will do that. We didn't create that in California; California had 
that when we arrived.
  On the hilltops, firefighters were looking at just ordinary 
backyards, sometimes hillsides, but ordinary backyards of half-acre, 
acre lots, or less, and in fact trying to save the houses on them.
  So, I would hope that people throughout the country, when they try to 
characterize what went on in California, would take an opportunity to 
meet with somebody from the districts in California, Congressman 
Filner, Congressman Bilbray, myself, and others, because we saw 
firsthand that firefighters had residential fires from 80-mile-an-hour-
, 100-degree-driven firestorms.

                              {time}  1545

  Additionally, I would like to bring up something that may not often 
cross the awareness of the men and women around the country who know 
about this fire, and that is we not only executed in San Diego County 
all of the plays that were in the playbook, all of the things which 
were written on how to fight a fire well from Malibu to the Mexican 
border, but additionally we wrote some new chapters.
  I am very proud that the United States Marines of Camp Pendleton and 
the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar joined the fight for the first 
time beyond those who were part of the plan. We were able to mobilize, 
on any given day, as many as eight additional aircraft which had never 
been designated to fight fires off the base. They were made available 
due to the initiative of the Northern Command and of Major General 
Lehnert and others in the chain of command who said, We have the 
ability to fight fire. We fight them on our bases every day. We will 
bring those to bear.
  With cooperation from the department called CAL FIRE in California 
and the Governor's office, that was made to happen in less than 48 
hours. So when the book is written on the evacuation and on the 
fighting of the fire in Southern California, yes, it was devastating 
for over 5,000 families that lost homes, that lost commercial 
buildings, that lost trailers or that, in fact,

[[Page 28658]]

lost their farms and ranches, but, in fact, this was a well-fought fire 
in which the people of San Diego came together to do the right thing.
  I am very proud of the people of San Diego and all of Southern 
California. I am also very thankful for the United States Marine Corps 
and the other first responders who made such a difference in our time 
of need. I thank you for this resolution, and I support and encourage 
all those to vote for it.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
California, Madam Speaker.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for bringing this 
legislation to the floor. I want to commend the cochairs of our 
delegation, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren and Congressman David Dreier, 
both from California, being the cochairs of our delegation, and all of 
our colleagues who come to the floor today and join us in expressing 
our appreciation to our men and women in uniform, our first responders, 
emergency services personnel, and our firefighters who conducted 
themselves in such a brave, brave and tireless manner to protect the 
people and the homes and businesses of California.
  Today, we thank God that the winds have finally died down and our 
brave first responders were able to contain the largest fire in the 
Golden State's history. As I said, our first responders, our 
firefighters, were courageous and tireless. More than 11,000 personnel, 
including thousands of firefighters from across California and 
neighboring States, and thank you to our neighboring States for their 
participation, and 2,500 of our brave National Guardsmen and -women 
worked through long days and nights to battle the dangerous flames.
  In doing so, as I said, they saved lives, homes and businesses. For 
that, we will be forever grateful.
  Today in California, five fires still burn. As these fires are 
quenched, the hard work of restoring the regular order of residents' 
lives begins. We can now begin the accounting of our staggering losses: 
seven dead and more than 100 injured; 500,000 acres burned; 1 million 
residents forced to evacuate; 1,400 homes destroyed across seven 
counties.
  But as the victims of the fire know, the tragedy can't be expressed 
in those numbers. It is in the lost baby photos and treasured mementos 
gone forever. It is in the fear of knowing that in an instant life can 
take a tragic turn.
  I salute Governor Schwarzenegger and the Governor's Office of 
Emergency Services for their efforts and leadership in protecting the 
people in the area and containing the fires.
  I am very pleased that President Bush responded to the request of the 
Governor and the California bipartisan delegation in declaring what was 
happening in California as a major disaster.
  Today, we vow that our response to this fire will not end once those 
flames are extinguished. The California congressional delegation will 
work in a bipartisan way with the entire Congress, with the Governor 
and the President to ensure short-term and long-term needs are met.
  To those who have suffered personal losses, whether it's the loss of 
a loved one, personal injury, loss of their homes and their 
communities, as Speaker of the House, I extend the deepest sympathy and 
the fullest support of the House of Representatives. We stand with you 
today and in the days of rebuilding to come.
  Once again, I acknowledge the leadership of Mr. Clay and Mr. Duncan 
and thank them for giving us this opportunity to express our 
appreciation to our firefighters and our first responders in 
California.
  Thank you very much, gentlemen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner).
  Mr. FILNER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I represent the southern part of the City of San Diego 
where we had thousands of evacuees, hundreds of homes lost, a really 
terrifying situation for many people. Of course, getting back on their 
feet will be a major, major challenge. But what we saw, as we have 
heard from my colleagues, is cooperation, cooperation from all levels 
of government, from the cities, the fire districts, county, State, 
Federal, and also international, which no one has mentioned up to this 
point. I watched as 60 firefighters, bomberos as we call them, from 
Tijuana, in Mexico, came to help and were a part of the team as we 
fought the Harris fire in southern San Diego. I think that was a very 
important contribution.
  I had the opportunity to talk to the President as we flew to the 
fires. He understood that he needed to be visible very early, which was 
very hopeful, and that FEMA had to be proactive and not just reactive. 
The blue shirts of FEMA were on the job and visible everywhere, and 
their local assistance centers were set up very much earlier than in 
any previous disaster, I think. And that gave hope to many people. 
Those assistance centers, again, before even many of the evacuees had 
been allowed to return home were there and helping people.
  We saw the hope on people's faces as they saw this cooperation in 
getting help from everywhere. And although they face a very difficult 
time, they do have hope. It was the volunteers, of course, our 
firefighters and our officers, police officers and other first 
responders, but the volunteers came from all over. Some of them had 
evacuated their own homes. Some of them lost their own homes. Teachers 
and others were there to help the children while away the time and even 
learn while they were there, people who brought food, people who 
brought clothing and psychological help, massages and medical help. So 
all of these people were involved. It was an incredible sight to behold 
as we went to Qualcomm Stadium or any of the evacuation centers around 
the county. You saw everybody pitching in. It was that coming together 
in San Diego that will give hope to the people who face challenges in 
the future and that got us through this very terrifying time.
  I thank the House for this resolution in support of the people of 
California.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Capps).
  Mrs. CAPPS. I thank my colleague from Missouri for yielding.
  As a representative of areas affected by the recent wildfires and a 
cosponsor of H. Res. 778, I rise in its strong support. Over the last 
10 days, wildfires have devastated much of Southern California. 
Hundreds of thousands of acres have been burned. Thousands of homes and 
businesses have been destroyed.
  While this tragedy has faded from the Nation's headlines, thousands 
of our first responders, military personnel, volunteers continue to 
battle the fires and to aid in the recovery effort. Today we commend 
these amazing individuals. Thousands of firefighters from throughout 
California and across the Nation put their lives on the line to protect 
our communities. They battled out-of-control flames fanned by restless 
hurricane-force winds, and they fought tirelessly for 12, 24, even 36 
hours straight.
  In addition, countless police officers and military personnel and 
other first responders successfully executed the largest evacuation in 
California's history. Tens of thousands of evacuees were sheltered with 
ample food, supplies, and facilities. Thousands of generous individuals 
have given their time, their money, their resources to help victims of 
this tragedy to get back on their feet.
  Mr. Speaker, California is sadly all too familiar with wildfires. My 
district includes parts of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura 
Counties, each of which experience wildfires almost annually. The most 
recent was Zaca fire which burned more than 240,000 acres of these 
three counties and lasted almost 3 months.
  I am proud to say from firsthand experience that California's 
emergency preparedness systems and procedures

[[Page 28659]]

are among the best in the Nation, I would say in the world. As the 
wildfires grew in size and numbers, the Governor's Office of Emergency 
Services was able to coordinate and allocate resources to the areas 
that needed them most, regardless of jurisdiction. Local firefighters 
from San Diego battled flames along with colleagues from Nevada, while 
planes from Wyoming and Colorado filled their tanks at Channel Islands 
Air National Guard Station just outside my district.
  If it were not for this organized and swift effort, many more acres, 
homes, and lives would have been lost. Mr. Speaker, as we move forward, 
I hope we can learn from this experience to help prevent such a tragedy 
from repeating itself in the future. And to the countless men and women 
who helped in this tragedy, we commend you and we thank you for your 
heroic efforts.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to our 
colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), who represents 
some of the City of San Diego and much of San Diego County.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my great colleague for 
yielding me some time and just follow my colleagues to again commend 
all of those who helped to take on this incredible challenge and to 
defeat this fire. Even though it destroyed lots of sagebrush land and 
lots of back country and homes and buildings and took some lives, we 
had a well-coordinated effort.
  Let me just point out also that I know Mr. Issa talked about the 
United States Marines and the United States Navy especially in the San 
Diego region working hand in hand with State and local firefighting 
officials and volunteers and the crews and especially in the area of 
the air war against the fire undertaking this challenge and doing very, 
very well.
  At the other level, at the level of bringing in assets from out of 
the State, I think we should also commend General Steven Blum, who is 
head of the National Guard for this country. And even before he 
received the request from the State of California, even though the 
request had been initiated by Governor Schwarzenegger, it goes through 
a number of bureaus and agencies before it actually gets to the unit 
that is going to send the particular firefighting aircraft to the 
location where it is going to engage the fire.
  Before he received the request from the State of California, General 
Steven Blum deployed aircraft and put out the deployment order for 
aircraft from Colorado, Wyoming and North Carolina. These are the so-
called MAFFS units, C-130 units that have the ability to put down about 
3,000 gallons of fire retardant per aircraft. They can pave an area a 
quarter of a mile wide. They do an extremely effective job of fighting 
fires.
  General Blum ordered those aircraft deployed to California before he 
had the order to deploy them. Before he had the request, he said, I am 
going to send them out as a training mission, and by the time they get 
there, the paperwork will catch up with them.
  So I think we all owe him a debt, and all those wonderful crews that 
came in from Wyoming, North Carolina and Colorado, as well as all the 
other crews in various other dimensions of the firefighting who arrived 
from out of State.
  So, Mr. Speaker, this was a wonderful team effort, I think perhaps a 
model for the country. We have a few rough edges to work on for the 
next one, a few reforms to make, and we are going to do that. But we 
had a wonderful, wonderful taking up of this enormous challenge. Our 
challenge now is to rebuild; and, similarly, we will all work together 
as a team to do that. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I will simply 
close for our side by saying these were fires and evacuations of 
historic proportions. They were handled in absolutely the best way 
possible, and I commend everyone involved in responding to these 
disasters and urge passage of this resolution. I think it is something 
that all of our colleagues can enthusiastically support.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to unanimously support 
this resolution and show full support to the victims of these 
wildfires, the people of Southern California. I urge swift passage.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, over the course of just one week, my home 
State of California has witnessed the most destructive and expansive 
wildfires in its history. Across southern California, more than a dozen 
large fires fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds burned over 500,000 
acres. The flames engulfed forests, homes and businesses alike. In my 
congressional district, the city of Malibu lost homes, a community 
church, and Castle Kashan, an iconic landmark on the California coast.
  As these fires raged, thousands of courageous firefighters risked 
their lives to battle the flames, tirelessly working shift after shift 
in grueling conditions. Hundreds of volunteers donated money, 
resources, and time to help the nearly 1 million Californians evacuated 
at the height of the crisis. Officials at all levels of government 
acted swiftly to coordinate a rapid response. While we grieve for the 
hundreds of families who have been devastated, we must be thankful that 
even greater losses were averted.
  The damage caused by the fires is staggering in its scope and 
heartbreaking in its impact on those who must start over from scratch. 
But Californians are resilient and determined to restore their 
communities and rebuild their lives. Today we stand in solidarity as we 
consider H. Res. 778, a resolution honoring the first responders and 
supporting the victims of the southern California wildfires. This 
resolution sends an important message to all Californians that the 
Nation is with them, and that Congress stands prepared to provide the 
assistance they need.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 778.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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