[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15350-15351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE RESILIENCE OF FLORIDIANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS AFTER 
                             HURRICANE IRMA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Rutherford) until the hour of 10 p.m.
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the resilience 
of my fellow Floridians, to thank our men and women in uniform, 
including our State and local first responders, and to recognize our 
State and local leaders for the tremendous aid and direction they gave 
to all of our fellow Floridians during their response to Hurricane 
Irma.
  We normally think of men and women in uniform as those who defend our 
country abroad, but they also deserve our recognition and thanks for 
their service on the homefront as well.
  The Florida Army National Guard, the United States Coast Guard, the 
Navy, and many others aided our State before, during, and after the 
storm. In fact, I witnessed National Guard units from various States 
working together with the Florida National Guard to rescue citizens of 
northeast Florida.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States Coast Guard did an incredible job 
carrying out hundreds of rescues, and I commend U.S. Coast Guard 
Commandant Zukunft, Captain Wiemers of Port Jacksonville, and all of 
their men and women who risked their lives to save others during and 
after the storm.
  I also want to recognize all of the first responders, police, and 
firefighters who responded quickly and saved so many lives. As an 
example, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, in 1 day, rescued more than 
350 of our citizens.
  I also want to commend Governor Rick Scott and our State agencies for 
the advanced planning that they did leading up to Hurricane Irma and 
the recovery efforts that are still going on.
  In northeast Florida, we experienced, historic flooding, levels not 
seen since 1846. That is the year after Florida became a State.
  In St. Johns County, small businesses were flooded and homes 
literally toppled over into the ocean. Many more still threaten to fall 
into the ocean, undermined by severe beach erosion.
  In Nassau County, here, a week after the storm, areas of the county 
were still not accessible due to heavy flooding, and shelters were 
still open.
  But throughout all of this, Mr. Speaker, I spoke with many local 
volunteers who had damage to their own homes but were out helping 
rescue other families. I even spoke with a retired coastguardsman who 
traveled to Nassau County from Virginia to serve with the Red Cross.
  Mr. Speaker, the Florida delegation in this House is now unified to 
ensure that Floridians receive the Federal support they need to recover 
from this horrible natural disaster, Hurricane Irma.
  I especially want to recognize Senator Marco Rubio and Florida 
Representatives Al Lawson, Neal Dunn, Ted Yoho, Ron DeSantis, Stephanie 
Murphy, Val Demings, and Darren Soto for coming to see, firsthand, the 
damage to our First Coast community.
  I also want to thank the congressional leaders from around the 
country for coming to northeast Florida. Speaker Paul Ryan, 
Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, and Chairman John Carter 
all personally toured our damaged communities, leaving us with a 
promise to do all they can to assist in Florida's recovery. I thank 
them for the support, and I am grateful for their work to quickly 
provide emergency aid to help hurting Floridians.
  We are all also heartbroken that, now, Puerto Rico and the U.S. 
Virgin Islands are enduring incredibly devastating damage from 
Hurricane Maria. We believe it is important that we share resources 
with our neighboring islands.
  As you know, Mr. Speaker, the Port of Jacksonville is ground zero for 
getting shipments of needed goods to Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands. In fact, the American Maritime Partnership and the entire U.S. 
maritime industry are, in fact, first responders in times of emergency 
like Irma and Maria when they strike Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands.
  I am proud of what the American maritime industry has accomplished. 
They have been working tirelessly around the clock to get goods to 
those who are in need. Almost immediately, there were 10,000 containers 
delivered; 35,000 pounds of cargo, were delivered by TOTE and Crowley 
of Jacksonville. And as we know, distribution has been the challenge.
  Our prayers go out to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and we are 
prepared to stand by them as they face the daunting task of rebuilding 
their communities. We will continue to work together with our State, 
local, and Federal officials to ensure that Florida, Puerto Rico, and 
the U.S. Virgin Islands can recover and build even stronger than 
before.

[[Page 15351]]

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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