Flooding in Illinois

Floor Speech

FLOODING IN ILLINOIS -- (Senate - June 19, 2008)

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, President Bush is in Iowa today to see first-hand some of the devastation that more than a week of severe flooding has inflicted on that State.

It is the President's first visit to the Midwest since the floods began more than a week ago.

Midwesterners appreciate the President's visit to our region. These floods are happening in our States, but they are a national disaster.

The President's visit to Iowa today gives us some reassurance that the Federal Government will help our region through this crisis.

As the President visits Iowa today, I hope he looks across the river to my State of Illinois.

Floods don't stop at State lines.

The floodwaters are receding now in Iowa; they are rising in Illinois. Levees are breaking and farmland and towns along our side of the Mississippi are being swallowed up by the river now.

The damage in Iowa has been staggering and heartbreaking , and we pray for our neighbors' safety and well-being.

But the entire Midwest is reeling from weeks of flooding and tornadoes--from Minnesota to Kansas and everywhere in between; Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and, of course, Illinois.

We know from the great flood that devastated the Midwest in 1993 and, more recently, from Hurricane Katrina, that the losses from this chain of weather-related disasters will be more than our States and citizens alone can shoulder.

We also know that, in times of crisis, Americans have always come together to help those in need. We are counting on that American tradition of cooperation now.

My colleagues and I whose States have borne the brunt of these floods appreciate greatly the support and offers of cooperation we have received from Senator Landrieu and others whose States have also suffered major natural disasters.

I hope that President Bush and others are equally committed to rebuilding the Midwest, not just through disaster relief but by strengthening levees, rebuilding houses, providing loans to small businesses, or helping farmers who have lost an entire season of crops.

As we speak, the floodwaters are still rising--in Iowa in Missouri, and in my State of Illinois--breaking levees, leaving people without running water, and leaving whole towns submerged.

Yesterday, two more levees broke on the Illinois-Iowa border near Quincy, flooding thousands of acres of farmland and forcing people to leave their homes. That brings the total number of broken levees in Illinois to nine as a result of the flooding.

In Galesburg, residents are on boil order and are in danger of losing their access to running water.

In Lawrenceville, where the floodwaters from earlier storms are finally receding, over 10,000 people have been without running water for more than a week. We will not forget our neighbors on the east side of the State, where it all began earlier this month.

Over 500 homes have been affected in Machesney Park, a small community in Winnebago County without a public works department and without trucks or any other equipment to help with the clean-up efforts.

My heart goes out to everyone affected by the floods, especially those who have watched their homes and livelihoods disappear under muddy waters.

But as the waters keep rising, the people of Illinois continue to humble and inspire me.

Illinoisans continue to work day and night to prepare for the worst. In cities and towns all along the Mississippi, people have spent the last week filling sandbags and fortifying levees. This is difficult work, often backbreaking, but as hard as it's been on the body, it hasn't broken people's spirits.

Day after day they have shown up--residents, volunteers, emergency workers, members of the Illinois National Guard. It is not easy to stand your ground in the face of a force as powerful as the Mississippi, but these folks have done just that. Their resolve and determination show an amazing spirit at work. It is something Senator Obama and I had a chance to see for ourselves when we were in Quincy and Grafton last week. It is a sight to behold.

I also commend FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers. They are doing what needs to be done to help these communities prepare for the worst. A number of State of Illinois departments and agencies are working 24/7 to ensure communities have the resources to fight the flood waters. This is truly a team effort.

Right now we are in a race against time and nature. The worst is still to come.

The river is still swelling and is projected to crest for many of the communities farther south in the coming days.

When the floodwaters recede, we will need to roll up our sleeves and begin the long, hard process of rebuilding.

Senator Obama and I will be working with the Illinois congressional delegation and our Senate colleagues to ensure that the people in the Midwest will not face this formidable task of rebuilding alone.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone on the ground.

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