[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17399-17400]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1745
                   DEVASTATING TORNADO HITS ILLINOIS

  (Mrs. BUSTOS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the devastating 
tornado that hit my region of Illinois this past Sunday.
  The tornado, which has been classified as an EF-4, hit speeds of up 
to 190 miles per hour. The city of Pekin in my district was especially 
hard hit. More than 200 structures in this city of 35,000 people were 
damaged, and 75 homes were left uninhabitable. Many people lost not 
only their homes, but all their possessions.
  To give just one personal story, Gary and Selena Cleer were in church 
on Sunday when the tornado hit. They took shelter with the rest of the 
congregation in the hallway. Finally, when they were able to drive 
safely back home, they didn't even recognize their house. Much of their 
roof was gone. Their garage had been torn away, and their battered car 
lay amid rubble.
  Illinoisans are generous and compassionate people, as well as being 
resilient and hard working. I have no doubt we will recover from the 
storm, but this type of disaster could happen anywhere.
  As we continue to debate the issues of the day, I call on all of us 
to keep in mind the people who have been hit hard by natural disasters. 
We owe it to them to be there for them in their time of need.

[[Page 17400]]



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