[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8438]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COMMENDING MINNEAPOLIS EMERGENCY RESPONDERS

  (Mr. ELLISON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I represent Minneapolis, Minnesota. 
Recently, my district was hit by a tornado. That tornado caused damage 
to well over 535 houses and took the lives of two of my constituents.
  I just want to commend all those people who stepped forward to do the 
right thing for the people who were victims. Whether you were serving 
meals for people who were put out of their homes; whether you were 
making games for the children of the dispossessed to be able to have 
some joy in their lives after such a difficult period; or whether you 
were an emergency responder, police, fire, emergency, medical; or 
whether you were a member of our local government, I want everyone in 
my district to know, everyone in the Fifth Congressional District to 
know, that I am so proud of the work that you did.
  I want folks to know that it is times of crisis like this tornado in 
which the best of us comes out, when we find our charitable spirit, 
when we find our courage, when we find all those things that sometimes 
are lacking in everyday life. I want to let you know that on the faces 
of the children who have had a warm place to stay after their own homes 
were knocked to the ground and trees went through people's roofs, that 
I want to thank all those first responders, all those public servants, 
all those volunteers who stepped up and made a very difficult situation 
just a little bit better for everyone who was involved.
  Of course, Mr. Speaker, we could never forget those two citizens who 
lost their lives when they were hit by this tornado. It was a tragedy 
for them and their families, and we will keep them in our thoughts and 
in our hearts and in our minds as we move forward.

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