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Mr. REID. Mr. President, Reno, NV, is a beautiful place. It is right below the great Lake Tahoe, the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a beautiful picturesque place.
I was troubled this morning to wake up and find that Reno, NV, is in trouble because of a devastating fire. We have more than 500 acres that have been burned, and we have a number of homes that have been destroyed. The problem we have is, because of these beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains that are towering over Reno, we get devastating winds, and those winds are blowing now. The winds are at 60 miles an hour while they are trying to control this fire. It is ravaging everything in its path.
So my thoughts are certainly with the families who have lost their homes and the thousands of residents who have been evacuated. The Pinehaven and Caughlin Ranch neighborhoods at this time have been particularly affected. But this terrible fire is raging across these acres in Reno and Washoe County. We have fire crews from all over the region that are trying to stop this disaster, trying to get this rampaging fire under control, but the winds are so strong that helicopters can't take off. So there is a lot of help that should be available that isn't because the winds are so difficult and because, as I said, the helicopters can't get off the ground.
Of course, I called my son Leif as soon as I heard about this. The phone was answered by my little granddaughter Nina, who was trying to explain to me what was going on. Her dad--my son--had been called to his best friend's home to try to help him. He had been ordered to evacuate. They have no water. Alfredo Alonso's home has no water because there is a well and the electricity is out so he can't pump water. But my son couldn't make it there because the police stopped him. They wanted no one coming into the neighborhood because they are evacuating everyone. But my son and his children--my four grandchildren--seem to be well, and they are quite a ways away from the fire.
Of course, I express my appreciation to the brave firefighters who have been working around the clock to contain the blaze and to the dedicated first responders who acted so quickly to protect lives and assist in the evacuation.
Mr. President, it is times such as this we understand what happens to local governments when they have to lay off people--firefighters, police officers. It has happened all over Nevada and all over this country. We were here, as you remember, a week or two ago trying to get assistance for places such as Reno and other communities in America for their fire and police, but the bill was defeated. But these people who are working are shorthanded, so they are working long hours there. It is impossible to say how many lives they have already saved, but they have.
So my heart, and all our hearts, go out to the firefighters as they carry on with this difficult work to control the flames and protect the communities. I will continue to follow the progress of this fire, and, of course, I will assist Mayor Bob Cashell and members of the Reno City Council and the Washoe County Commission with anything they think I can do to help. I support Governor Sandoval's decision to request a Federal emergency declaration, as firefighters and first responders are doing their utmost to contain things.
So Reno and all of Washoe County can depend on my support in any way they think I can help, and I will continue, as I have indicated, and I indicate for the second time, to monitor this situation very closely.
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