Hurricane Katrina

HURRICANE KATRINA -- (Extensions of Remarks - September 08, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. ANDER CRENSHAW
OF FLORIDA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2005

* Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my appreciation for the thousands of emergency personnel who continue to work tirelessly to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected by Hurricane Katrina. The devastation caused by this hurricane is epic and we are only beginning to learn of the total destruction it caused. Yet, in the face of enormous adversity, thousands of Americans put their own lives on the line to help their fellow Americans in need.

* These individuals worked themselves into exhaustion both mentally and physically. Without their sacrifice, thousands more Americans would have lost their lives from this devastating storm. Mirroring September 11, 2001, local first responders were once again on the front lines.

* None of us shall soon forget the images of our brave men and women who serve in the United States Coast Guard. This disaster brought a new meaning to the term ``search and rescue.'' Petty Officer Eric Sciubba arrived in New Orleans Monday and said crewmembers found themselves trying rescue techniques never before attempted. Replacing Scuba gear with axes, Americas' ``Coasties'' found themselves chopping through roof tops to reach trapped victims.

* At one particular house, Petty Officer Sciubba found an invalid woman in even more peril than most in New Orleans. Her feeding tube had stopped working, and Sciubba found her in bed on her home's first floor, with her head barley sticking above water. The helicopter couldn't reach the stranded couple through the back yard, and with the front door locked, Sciubba knew that time was their number one enemy. Finally, the man inside the house was able to get the door unlocked and both individuals were brought to safety. This couple was among the 109 people Petty Officer Sciubba's crew pulled from disaster to safety before returning to Ellington Field on Thursday.

* And that is just one of the hundreds of incredible rescues made by the Coast Guard.

* We certainly will not forget the sacrifice made by the tens of thousands of National Guard, many of whom recently returned or are soon being deployed to Iraq, who sacrificed their precious time with family and loved ones to help those in need and return order to a city in chaos.

* America has faced many challenges in its history and Hurricane Katrina will be written as one of its greatest. Yet once again, this great country will meet and overcome this latest challenge and will triumph in the face of adversity. This great Nation of ours will once again show the world its courage, conviction and will to overcome.

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