[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16169]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               ROUGH RIDGE AND ROCK MOUNTAIN FOREST FIRES

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                           HON. DOUG COLLINS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2016

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the 
Rough Ridge and Rock Mountain forest fires that have recently impacted 
Northeast Georgia.
  Over the past few months, my district has experienced a severe 
drought that at one point led to a rainfall deficit of more than a foot 
and especially affected thousands of farmers in Northeast Georgia.
  This October, I had the opportunity to learn more about the drought's 
repercussions from the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black, 
and about 40 local farmers who have struggled with the historic 
drought.
  Unfortunately, the effects of the drought went beyond affecting our 
farmers, and, as wildfires continued to burn in Rough Ridge and Rock 
Mountain, I was deeply concerned.
  In fact, the Rough Ridge and Rock Mountain forest fires have each 
affected over 20,000 acres of land in Northeast Georgia.
  Today, I am grateful to report that the Rough Ridge and Rock Mountain 
forest fires have been 95 percent contained. I would like to thank the 
firefighters, police, emergency management and medical teams, and many 
others who have worked long hours at demanding jobs to ensure the 
security and safety of the public during this uncertain time.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward, in the near future, to sharing the good 
news that the Rough Ridge and Rock Mountain forest fires have been 
completely contained.

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