[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1386]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TENNESSEE TORNADOES

  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I had originally scheduled time to speak a 
little about the stimulus package and the many frailties I see with 
this package. However, due to the tragedy last night in Tennessee, I 
wish to talk on a different subject matter.
  The senior Senator from Tennessee joins me on the floor this morning, 
and, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to yield half of my time to 
the great Lamar Alexander, the senior Senator from Tennessee, if that 
would be acceptable.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The senior Senator from Tennessee 
is recognized.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Chattanooga 
for his courtesy. I, too, would like to talk about the economic 
stimulus package and how we Republicans have been ready to go to work 
on it for 2 weeks, and will later today. But Senator Corker and I have 
something that is closer to our heart today, and that is the 
devastation that came across our State last night from a string of 
tornadoes that was as rough and as pervasive as anything I have seen in 
my lifetime.
  Most Americans saw reports of it while they were watching coverage of 
the elections, but the trouble began in Memphis in the middle of the 
day, with schools being closed because of tornadoes. It moved on to 
Jackson, where 3,300 students at Union University barely escaped, 
although the school was heavily damaged.
  Often, tornadoes and severe weather of this type head in one 
direction and then the other, but this one just kept going. It kept on 
going into middle Tennessee, to Sumner County and Macon County, where 
several lives were lost, and moved into east Tennessee and the mountain 
area just this morning. So there is a lot of trouble in our State as a 
result of that, and Senator Corker and I want the people of our State 
to know we have been monitoring that during the night, and we and our 
staffs are working together today.
  We have talked to the Governor and State officials, local officials. 
I talked to the athletic director of Union University on his cell phone 
a few minutes ago. I was trying to reach David Dockery, the president 
of Union University.
  So for the next several days, we will be doing all we can do from the 
Federal level to assist the Governor and the local officials in dealing 
with the devastation that was caused last night by the severe storms. 
Forty-five people were killed, more than another 100 injured, a lot of 
damage to buildings in areas across our State.
  I thank Senator Corker for taking this time to allow us to express to 
our constituents our feelings for them. We do want them to know they 
have our full attention today. The Governor is at the front of the 
line. That is the way we do things in Tennessee. We work easily with 
him and his staff and the local official. We will stay in touch with 
them, and those who need to be in touch with our Senate offices can do 
that.
  We will move promptly to deal with applications for disaster relief. 
Sometimes they say they need to take enough time to be accurately 
filled out rather than have a race to the mailbox to get those in. But 
we will be working with local officials with those to do all we can.
  I thank the Senator from Tennessee, Mr. Corker, for his courtesy in 
allowing me to express my remarks, and I look forward to working with 
him to help deal with the pain that has been caused to many 
Tennesseans.
  I yield for Senator Corker.
  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, thank you for letting me spend a few 
minutes on this topic that is such a huge issue in the State of 
Tennessee. I certainly thank our senior Senator for his leadership. Our 
senior Senator was also the Governor of Tennessee. I know he knows full 
well what many people across our State today are facing.
  Again, I thank him for his leadership on so many issues. I know both 
of us today have spent time talking with county mayors across the State 
of Tennessee, talking with our Governor, talking with officials at 
Union University and other places. I know that for all of us our hearts 
and prayers go out not only to the people of Tennessee but also the 
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky people who also are dealing with 
some very tragic circumstances.
  I know people in Tennessee are looking to their county mayors and our 
Governor for leadership, their officials with the National Guard, and 
FEMA. My understanding is they are providing outstanding leadership and 
that people have worked throughout the night to make sure that relief 
has been given, that people have been taken into homes and other 
places. Today, as they begin to dig out, if you will, and really see 
the extent of the damage, that will continue.
  I am very proud to serve with Lamar Alexander and to be with him 
today. I know both of us want the people of Tennessee to know we are 
very aware of the tragedy they are dealing with. We are with them and 
their elected officials at the local and State level. We want to work 
with them as time goes on to make sure that much needed Federal relief, 
which will be on the way down the road, is forthcoming.
  I wish to thank all of those volunteers. I have heard stories of 
heroic things throughout our State where ordinary citizens have done 
things to ease the pain and to create safety for many of our citizens 
in harm's way.
  Again, our thoughts and prayers are with all of our citizens, 
especially those who have been so tragically affected by the events of 
the last 24 hours.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DeMINT. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The Senator from South Carolina is recognized.

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