[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14791]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            GATLINBURG FIRE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Tennessee (Mrs. Black) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, Tennesseans have experienced the worst of 
Mother Nature this week--from the tornadoes in my own district to the 
historic wildfires that ravaged the Gatlinburg community. These fires 
forced a mass evacuation, destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, 
and tragically caused three known fatalities so far.
  Today I rise to call for prayer for our neighbors in the beautiful 
Smoky Mountains region of our State, to remember those precious lives 
lost, and to recognize our heroic first responders who have worked 
diligently to contain the damage.
  As the work continues, we pray that healing rain would fall, 
literally, across eastern Tennessee this week, that businesses would be 
able to quickly reopen, and that visitors would once again flock to 
this treasured region of our State to experience all that Gatlinburg 
has to offer.

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