[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9531-9532]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          MONTANA FLOOD HEROES

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, Christopher Reeve once said that ``A hero 
is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and 
endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.''
  Today I wish to call attention to five Montana heroes--everyday folks 
making a superheroic effort to help their friends and neighbors. I 
enjoy sharing these stories. I am proud of these stories because they 
tell the story about what it is to be a Montanan.
  For all the flooding that is going on in my State of Montana and in 
other States of the Nation, I am happy to mention the names of many 
Montana heroes who have been rising above and beyond the call of duty 
and are following Christopher Reeve's definition of what it means to be 
a hero.
  We in Montana pride ourselves in helping our fellow neighbors. I know 
that is true in States all across our country. I don't want to say it 
is just in the State of Montana, but I can say that in our State it is 
special. We in Montana sometimes say we are one big small town. It is a 
big State, not a lot of people. We tend to know each other. There is a 
strong sense of camaraderie and community which I think is even 
stronger in my State than perhaps in some others.
  My home State continues to face severe flooding. The Jefferson River, 
which is one of the three rivers that form the headwaters of the 
Missouri River, is over its banks at Three Forks, MT. The Milk River, 
where Lewis and Clark traveled--up the Missouri and part of the way up 
the Milk River--continues to flood, and the Missouri River is flooding 
in Toston. As we know, downstream the Missouri flooding has been very 
significant. Rain is also in the forecast for the rest of the week. We 
have record snowpack levels in our State. We have a lot of flooding, 
and there is going to be more.
  But Montanans all across our State continue to do all that is 
necessary and beyond to help. As we can see, this is the Rocky Boy's 
Indian Reservation that is underwater for the second time in a year. 
This is the problem. The floods come and then they recede; the rains 
come and melt the snowpacks, so it is flooding again. This is the Rocky 
Boy's Reservation, one of the seven major Indian reservations in the 
State of Montana.
  This is Bruce Sun Child, interim chairman of the Chippewa Cree Tribe. 
I have known Bruce for many years. He has been working around the clock 
to help his tribe through this emergency. For those who lost their 
homes, he helped them find a place to sleep. For the sick, he found a 
way to get them to the hospital. He is one of those guys who cares.
  Dave Dickman owns a business in Great Falls called Dickman 
Excavation. After flooding threatened homes in Great Falls--this 
happens very often, usually in the Sun River which is one of the 
tributaries of the Missouri River. It flows into the Missouri in Great 
Falls. Dave Dickman donated thousands of sandbags to Montana families 
working to protect their homes from rising waters. This is classic. 
This is typical. When we asked him why he did all this and why he is 
working so hard, he humbly said, ``I know my neighbors would do the 
same for me if I needed a helping hand.''
  Floyd Fisher is another Montana hero. I have been mentioning many 
heroes in Montana individually and specifically by name over the last 
couple of weeks. This is Floyd Fisher. He does it all. Floyd Fisher is 
the Golden Valley sheriff. He is also the county coroner. Floyd is the 
county fire chief. He is also the disaster emergency services director. 
He works as an EMT responding to ambulance calls. Floyd is a busy guy. 
Floyd cares. He likes to help people. After learning of a pending flash 
flood in Ryegate, MT, last week, we initiated the county's reverse 911 
alert system. He then rushed across town door to door with an 
evacuation order. Shortly thereafter, 2 feet of water flooded the 
streets of Ryegate.
  After the floods, Floyd Fisher kept at it. He directed traffic away 
from washed out roads. He picked up a broom to help clean out Super D's 
Grocery. He provided emergency medical care.
  Floyd has been working around the clock, catching 2 or 3 hours of 
sleep when he can find it. If you want to understand Montana, look no 
further than Floyd. His efforts sum it up very well.
  Last week, Missoula County set up a flood hotline to help people face 
the rising floodwaters. Before long, the hotline received dozens of 
calls from volunteers wanting to help. Missoula's former rural fire 
chief, Curt Belts, stepped up to help. This is Curt. He has a smile on 
his face right now. He didn't have a smile on his face when he was 
helping out with the flood.
  Curt worked with the United Way to organize over 60 volunteers daily. 
He made sure sandbags were placed at key locations around Missoula. He 
worked very hard--14-hour days--to minimize damage from flooding in 
Missoula. If we ask any volunteer around Missoula, they will tell you 
it was Curt who made all the difference, even down to the finest 
details such as sunscreen and bug spray for volunteers. Runoff is 
expected to swell again in Missoula. Thanks to Curt, they are much more 
ready.
  In Lewistown, John Bebee's home was safe and dry, but his neighbors 
near the river were in danger. For the last 3 weeks, John has been 
sandbagging homes in Lewistown that are most in danger. No one needed 
to ask him for help. No one went to John and said:

[[Page 9532]]

John, can you help out? He just knew what was needed. He knew on his 
own, and he headed out to provide that help.
  In the Upper Missouri River Breaks in north central Montana, there 
are a lot of cottonwood trees. The cottonwood trees need floods to 
regenerate. Floods along the Missouri clear away rich, bare soil for 
new cottonwoods to take root. Hydrologists with the U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management in Lewistown said this year's floods could help establish a 
new generation of cottonwoods. The aging stands had been in danger of 
disappearing altogether.
  So like the cottonwood, Montana will return from these floods 
stronger than ever. That is because of hundreds of unsung heroes 
stepping up to help. I am asking Montanans to share their stories of 
ordinary folks doing extraordinary things for their friends and 
neighbors. Whether on Facebook or by calling my office, we want to hear 
those inspiring stories.
  In closing, I wish to share a humble thank-you. Thank you to all of 
Montana's heroes. I do not know what we would do without you. Thank you 
for your service. You are wonderful. You are aces. We all deeply 
appreciate all you are doing.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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