Remembering Those Lost in the Illinois Tornado

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember those who tragically lost their lives this week in Illinois. Last weekend, tornados ripped across my State and six people were killed.

Extreme weather events are sadly becoming the norm across the country; 2012 was the second most extreme weather year to date, with 11 extreme weather events across our country.

Last year, Illinois experienced a total of 113 broken heat records, two broken snow records, 36 broken precipitation records, and one large wildfire. Clearly, this year looks to be no different.

The reality is this: stronger, more destructive storms are pounding our region with distressing regularity and with huge costs to our State, our residents, and our economy.

Our task is to aid those devastated by these events, as well as addressing the underlying cause of their increased severity and frequency--climate change.

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