[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2951-2952]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HOOSIERS MAKE INDIANA PROUD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Young) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. YOUNG of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today because I've never 
been prouder to call southern Indiana home. Late Friday afternoon, in 
our part of America, a disaster brought neighbors together, turned 
strangers into friends, and reminded us all what it means to be part of 
a community.
  Over the course of several hours, fierce winds, softball-sized hail, 
and deadly tornados descended upon southern Indiana communities, 
leaving behind a 50-mile path of destruction from New Pekin to Chelsea 
and beyond. Our people are still assessing the costs, but we know this 
much: 13 Hoosiers have died, scores have lost their homes and 
businesses, and citizens across the region have suffered untold damage 
to their personal and public property.
  As hard as it is to imagine, the tragedy might have been worse were 
it not for the bravery and resilience of rank-and-file Hoosiers. Our 
firemen, policemen, EMTs, and local officials deserve our thanks. Those 
who serve in Indiana's National Guard, our State police, and our 
Department of Homeland Security stepped up, too. From the initial 
response through the ongoing efforts today, their service has been 
exemplary.
  But it has been concerned citizens, so-called ``ordinary'' Americans 
who have restored a measure of stability to a region pummeled by forces 
beyond our control. There was a bus driver in Henryville who, in the 
nick of time, rushed dozens of children back to school to protect them 
from the approaching twister. There were the EMTs off Interstate 65 who 
saw a woman thrown from her car and saved her from being pummeled by 
hail by dragging a large metal sign across the road and holding it over 
her. They likely saved her life.
  There were parents and friends and even strangers across southern 
Indiana who, as danger approached, took a moment to extend a hand to 
others and said, Come inside, we'll find room. After the storms left 
their mark, Hoosiers immediately turned to accounting for loved ones 
and comforting neighbors.
  The damage was and is severe. One tornado--by some accounts a half-
mile wide--carved a clear path through southern Indiana, ripping trees 
out of the Earth, hurling automobiles and combines long distances, 
severing power lines, and decimating countless homes and businesses. 
Here, again, Hoosiers didn't sit around and wait for others to help us 
out. We got to work.
  Now, over the weekend I spent time surveying the damage and meeting 
with those who lost the most. Everywhere I visited, I met citizens 
wearing work boots and work gloves who were busily beginning to sort 
through the piles of rubble. I met others who had fired up their 
chainsaws and were clearing debris from roadways. I saw clusters of 
cars and pickup trucks parked outside homes that were hit hardest.
  In the aftermath of such a tragedy, one would be forgiven for asking: 
Why me? But I never heard it. Instead, time and again I heard Hoosiers 
sympathize with those who lost more than they. And more than one person 
told me that, in the end, stuff doesn't really matter; it's people that 
are important.

[[Page 2952]]

  I heard sincere, caring people ask their neighbors: How can I help? 
In Henryville, a pizza shop was mostly destroyed, except for the 
freezer. The couple who owned it, rather than worrying about the loss 
of their business, asked officials how they could donate food from the 
freezer to those who needed it most.
  In Marysville, the local Christian church remains intact, but little 
else. Pastor Bob Priest told me their decades-old building is no longer 
structurally sound, but the congregation has never been stronger.
  For those of us who have seen the scale and scope of destruction up 
close, we know the path back will not be easy, but we will fix all that 
Mother Nature broke. Government at all levels will and must be there to 
help, from local authorities, to the State of Indiana, to our 
congressional offices. My staff and I, in particular, are eager to 
connect our constituents to whatever Federal services and funds might 
be available to help them get their lives back on track. But make no 
mistake, it will be the people of Indiana, the people of tight-knit 
communities like Henryville, Marysville, Chelsea, and New Pekin, who 
will rebuild their broken lives.
  Now, during these tough times, Hoosiers are reminding us what it 
means to be a community of citizens--one Nation under God, indivisible, 
come what may. That sense of community has always bound Americans 
together in tough times, and it will get us through this tragedy as 
well.
  May God be with those Americans who are putting their lives back 
together. We're praying for you and here for you.

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