Honoring the City of Minneapolis, First Responders, and the Citizens of Minnesota for their Valiant Efforts in Responding to the Collapse of the ...
Floor Speech
HONORING THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS, FIRST RESPONDERS, AND THE CITIZENS OF MINNESOTA FOR THEIR VALIANT EFFORTS IN RESPONDING TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE INTERSTATE ROUTE 35W MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE -- (House of Representatives - September 05, 2007)
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Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 606, introduced by my colleague from Minnesota (Mr. ELLISON). I extend my gratitude for his work to introduce this resolution and bring it forth for consideration on the House floor.
On August 1, 2007, at 6:05 p.m., during the evening rush hour, the bridge on Interstate 35 W spanning the Mississippi River suddenly collapsed. The eight-lane, steel truss bridge span carried approximately 140,000 vehicles each day. This horrific catastrophe claimed the lives of 13 people; 123 other individuals were injured.
Visions of this tragedy and the destruction left in the wake of the bridge collapse remain etched in our memories. Yet the scenes of the damage have been softened by the touching images of the hundreds of fire fighters, police officers, including the University of Minnesota police, and emergency response personnel that rushed to aid their fellow citizens. The direct actions of these civil servants and citizens immediately following this tragedy are examples of extraordinary courage.
The brave men and women who were first on the scene, and remained working around the clock after the collapse, helped to minimize the toll of this tragedy and undoubtedly saved lives. The aftermath of the collapse has also been made easier to bear with the help from over 50 organizations and local governments and a national outpouring of sympathy and prayers.
A few months ago, the people of Minnesota suffered a different kind of catastrophe: a raging forest fire. The blaze began on May 5, 2007, in the Gunflint Trail area in far northeastern Minnesota, roared across the Canadian border, and then returned to Minnesota to devastate my district. It consumed nearly 76,000 acres and destroyed 140 structures. Many first responders heeded the call to this fire. The dedicated men and women of the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department were among the first to arrive on the scene, followed by firefighters and fire departments from across the region. In all, over 1,000 personnel assisted in fighting this blaze. No lives were lost, there were only 11 minor injuries, and 759 structures were saved thanks to the efforts of these responders.
The responses to these disasters are just two examples of the countless selfless acts that our Nation's first responders carry out every day simply by doing their job. Twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, all over this country, when any type of tragedy enters our lives, from a medical emergency facing a neighbor to a large-scale natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other incident, our Nation's emergency responders are the first on the scene to provide professional services, expert help, aid and comfort. These well-trained, highly-skilled individuals are truly on the front lines in preparing for, responding to, and mitigating damages from a variety of hazards.
Across the country, the millions of men and women who serve this nation as police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel, including those in Minnesota, place themselves in great danger every day in order to protect each one of us. They deserve our deepest thanks and respect.
I stand with Congressman ELLISON in recognizing the outstanding work and effort of the first responders in response to the tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota and laud their unflinching dedication to duty. While we can never adequately express our gratitude to the brave men and women, this resolution is a fitting tribute.
I strongly support this resolution and urge its passage.
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