Disaster in Oregon

Floor Speech

DISASTER IN OREGON -- (Senate - December 06, 2007)

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today with my colleague Senator Smith because many Oregonians are hurting at home today. For 3 days this week our State has been slammed by a storm, the strength of which boggles the mind--hurricane force winds with gusts exceeding 120 miles an hour and almost a foot of rain, raising water levels in some areas by 25 feet in less than 48 hours. Hundreds of our people are now in shelters, tens of thousands are without power and don't have phones.

Thousands of Oregonians have been willing to step forward with incredible acts of courage and generosity. Using helicopters and boats, the Oregon National Guard and the Coast Guard have come through for our folks, rescuing hundreds of people trapped by rising water. Along with activating the National Guard, the Governor has brought every State agency in to help take care of the needs of the displaced, get communications restored, fix the roads, clear the bridges, and begin to assess the extraordinary damage.

We especially today, both of Oregon's Senators, thank the Oregon chapter of the Red Cross, because they immediately moved into the affected areas and opened shelters. They provided meals and they have now been assisting with the cleanup.

The Governor has asked the President to declare a major disaster in our State and all of the Oregon congressional delegation joins the Governor in urging the President to grant this request immediately.

Folks from FEMA, the emergency management agency, have arrived in our State. They are going to begin making formal damage assessments today.

Senator Smith and I talked to Secretary Chertoff on the phone and we asked for the Department of Homeland Security to pull out all the stops to aid our State immediately. The immediate priority is to get our citizens the help they need to survive during these critical days. Once the full extent of the damage is known, Oregon and Washington, the hard-hit Pacific Northwest, are going to need Federal assistance in recovering from the disaster. This is surely going to entail rebuilding roads and other essential parts of our infrastructure.

Senator Smith and I are committed this morning to getting the help that is so urgently needed by the people of Oregon. We believe it is critical in terms of timing that this help be made available now so folks can get back on their feet. We intend to pursue a variety of options, including adding emergency funding to future spending bills if that is necessary.

I yield the rest of my time to my colleague Senator Smith. We believe on Oregon issues there are no partisan questions. Today the people of our State are hurting and both of Oregon's Senators are committed to getting the help that is needed to sustain lives at home, to the Pacific Northwest, and the people of Oregon immediately.

I yield the floor.

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