[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11718-11719]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       STORMS IN QUINCY, ILLINOIS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I have represented Quincy, IL, and Adams 
County since coming to Congress in 1983 as a Member of the House of 
Representatives. I have found that there is something special about the 
Gem City--its people, its strong sense of community, and the fighting 
spirit to tackle any crisis from floods to storms.
  That spirit was tested this week.
  I am relieved and thankful that there were no serious injuries or 
fatalities after a major storm tore through Quincy on Monday night. 
Torrential rain and winds up to 74 miles per hour felled trees, broke 
dozens of utility poles, and tore roofs off several homes and 
businesses during the event. The Quincy mayor declared a citywide state 
of emergency Monday evening and Adams County followed with a state of 
disaster declaration. Several people say the battered city looked like 
a warzone.
  More than 21,000 people were without power on Monday night and 
Tuesday. Crews have worked around the clock to restore electricity to 
most. Due to the loss of power, many stoplights were out throughout the 
city. Between the outages, flooded streets, and streets made impassable 
by fallen trees, navigating Quincy has been a challenge.
  The Quincy Park District estimates that the ``jaw dropping'' damage 
to the city's 29 parks--especially Madison and

[[Page 11719]]

South Parks--far exceeds the devastation from severe storms in 2011 
that costs the District more than $400,000. Caretakers at Woodland 
Cemetery discovered after the worst of the storm had passed that a 20-
foot piece of a Civil War monument was toppled by the high winds and at 
least 35 trees were uprooted in the cemetery, many of which were more 
than a century old.
  Dozens of Quincy residents checked into motels to escape the heat as 
they started the cleanup of their homes and properties without power. 
John Wood Community College and the Quincy Senior and Family Resources 
Center set up cooling centers to give people a place to take a break. 
The Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other local agencies have been on 
site to lend a helping hand.
  I am grateful that Quincy fire chief Joe Henning, Adams County 
emergency management agency director John Simon, Quincy police chief 
Rob Copley, and many other elected officials and community leaders are 
leading cleanup and recovery efforts. Getting the city back on its feet 
and helping the people whose homes and businesses were damaged is a big 
job.
  In today's Quincy Herald-Whig columnist Steve Eighinger said it best, 
``It's going to be quite a while before things are back to what we 
consider normal, but we'll get there. We're Quincy. We pay it 
forward.''
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the column be printed in 
the Record.
  In closing, I would like to commend the Quincy and Adams County 
community for pulling together to get through this storm and the 
aftermath. The cleanup is daunting, but the spirit endures. From the 
people of Hannibal and Macomb who have sent crews, trucks, and supplies 
to area residents who opened their homes and businesses to the 
displaced to the local businesses--grocery stores and gas stations--
that have supplied free ice, water, and recharging stations, and done 
their best to restock basic supplies so residents can feed and care for 
their families to the Kroc Center and its supporters who have fed 
Quincyans. This has been a team effort.
  I stand ready to support the local cleanup and recovery efforts in 
Quincy and Adams County and will continue to keep community residents 
in my thoughts as they get the Gem City back up and running.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              [From the Quincy Herald-Whig, July 16, 2015]

           `Normal' Still a Ways Away, But We Will Get There

                          (By Steve Eighinger)

       There is no use trying to sugar coat what has happened. It 
     has been a brutal week in and around Quincy, thanks to the 
     monstrous storm that swept through Monday night.
       It was the first time in my life that I was legitimately 
     scared of what might happen at the height of that blowing 
     downpour and accompanying 74 mph winds.
       My wife, Kathy, was screaming at me to get in the basement 
     with her and Ashes, the family dog. For some reason, I 
     refused. I vowed to stay upstairs, running from one window to 
     another, from one door to the next, to make sure they didn't 
     blow open.
       Massive limbs and entire trees were falling all around our 
     home. I saw them. I heard them. It was like nothing I had 
     ever experienced.
       If our home was going down, I had vowed to go with it.
       Obviously, that was not the smartest thing I ever chose to 
     do. If I had to relive those frightening 30 minutes or so, I 
     would have joined Kathy and Ashes in the basement.
       It's what happened after the storm had finally passed that 
     was equally--if not more so--incredible.
       On street after street, block after block, neighbors were 
     assisting friends and helping people they did not even know. 
     While only initial, limited assistance could be offered 
     Monday night because of the lack of light, but the true heart 
     of Quincy emerged Tuesday, as it always does.
       One of the most heartwarming stories I encountered this 
     week involved a family of five--a husband, wife and three 
     kids--seeking out homeowners, particularly older adults, in 
     need of help. The anonymous family cleaned yards, did not ask 
     for anything in return and quietly moved on to the next 
     person in need.
       They did not seek and would not accept publicity. I admired 
     that more than anything.
       ``We're doing it because we should,'' they answered.
       That is the ultimate pay it forward.
       Another offering of help was provided by at least one 
     Hannibal inn handling an influx of displaced Quincyans on 
     Monday night who needed a place to stay, including one family 
     with a special-needs child who needed air conditioning. The 
     lodge in question not only found the Quincyans rooms, but 
     also provided them at a discount.
       Hannibal has a big heart, too.
       How about the cooperation of the drivers working their way 
     through the maze of downed trees and no stoplights? Most 
     major Quincy intersections became a little more than four-way 
     stops, which could have become incredibly dangerous at major 
     sites like 36th and Broadway. Instead, there was an esprit de 
     corps among Quincyans, who politely made it all work.
       Hats off to the local supermarkets for providing items like 
     free bags of ice and places to recharge cellphones.
       If you follow any social media, you have been impressed 
     with the salutes, praises and admiration of Ameren and other 
     workers trying to restore power to city residents. More than 
     1,000 Ameren workers alone have been working around the 
     clock.
       It's going to be quite awhile before things are back to 
     what we consider ``normal,'' but we'll get there.
       We're Quincy. We pay it forward.

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