[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17773]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             REMEMBERING THOSE LOST IN THE ILLINOIS TORNADO

  (Mr. QUIGLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember those who 
tragically lost their lives this week in Illinois. Last weekend, 
tornados ripped across my State and six people were killed.
  Extreme weather events are sadly becoming the norm across the 
country; 2012 was the second most extreme weather year to date, with 11 
extreme weather events across our country.
  Last year, Illinois experienced a total of 113 broken heat records, 
two broken snow records, 36 broken precipitation records, and one large 
wildfire. Clearly, this year looks to be no different.
  The reality is this: stronger, more destructive storms are pounding 
our region with distressing regularity and with huge costs to our 
State, our residents, and our economy.
  Our task is to aid those devastated by these events, as well as 
addressing the underlying cause of their increased severity and 
frequency--climate change.

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