Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine -- Motion to Proceed
Floor Speech
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am sure all our colleagues have seen the news over the past few days from my home State of Washington where we are suffering from a devastating natural disaster.
For those who haven't seen the coverage, on Saturday the town of Oso, WA--a very small, tightly knit community on the Stillaguamish River--was hit by a massive landslide. It has cut off the town of Darrington just a few miles up State Road 530, and houses over a square mile have been swept away.
We know already we have lost eight people. This morning we learned there are more than 100 people still missing, and right now in my home State of Washington there are dozens of families who do not know if their loved ones are still alive. These are moms and dads, they are sons and daughters, they are neighbors and friends who in the blink of an eye saw water and earth wipe away their homes and their entire community, and now many of them don't know if their loved ones survived.
I was in Arlington, WA, yesterday, where the search and rescue operations are being coordinated. It is just down the road from where the slide hit, and I want to talk for a few minutes this evening on the Senate floor about this tragedy.
Oso and Darrington are very small towns like a lot of others in this country. The population of Oso is 180 people. These are the types of places where everyone knows everyone, where they stop to say hello, and where everyone lends a helping hand. It is impossible to describe the scope of this devastation. There isn't a single person who hasn't been impacted in some way by this tragedy. There also isn't a single person anywhere who isn't doing everything they can to help. I saw neighbors who were there providing food, providing shelter, offers of all kinds of hope, help, hugs, and prayers. First responders are risking their lives every minute, braving very dangerous conditions to look for survivors. People across my State are offering help and donations, anything they can to assist these communities that are experiencing the unthinkable. We have grocery stores offering food to the families who need it and to the rescue workers. The Red Cross is there on the ground. Tribal leaders from the local community are coming to offer what they can.
I wanted my colleagues to know that this weekend I saw some of the worst devastation I have ever witnessed in my home State. At the same time I also saw firefighters who hadn't slept. They refused to stop as they searched for survivors. I saw families refusing to give up hope, and I saw communities that need our entire State and our entire country to stand with them now.
Even though Oso and Darrington are 2,300 miles away from the Nation's Capital, our hearts and prayers are with the families in those communities tonight. In the coming weeks and months--and even years if that is what it takes--all of us need to stand with the people of Oso and Darrington and Arlington and provide the Federal resources they are going to desperately need in this recovery and rebuilding operation. I want them to know they will have the thoughts and prayers of everyone in this country going out to the real Washington as they see this through.
I yield the floor.
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