Murray: “Here’s my message to everyone back in Washington state who is dealing with the aftermath of these devastating floods: I know you have a long road ahead. But I promise you will not walk that road alone. I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ll be your voice here in Washington D.C. And I will fight tooth and nail to make sure you get the support you need to build and to recover.”
TRI-CITY HERALD: ‘Just what we do.’ Tri-Cities neighbors come together in Yakima River flood
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full floor speech; DOWNLOAD HERE***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, took to the Senate floor to deliver remarks on the historic flooding and extreme weather that has wreaked havoc in communities across Washington state over the past week, and to praise the heroic efforts of first responders, members of the Coast Guard and National Guard, local officials, meteorologists, and everyday citizens who have stepped up to respond to the flooding and help people on the frontlines.
“Earlier this morning, we saw the first reported death connected to the flooding—a tragic and sobering reminder of what is at stake,” Senator Murray said on the Senate floor today. “And as response and recovery efforts continue across my state, I want to take a moment to recognize the valiant effort of first responders, and teams at all levels coming together to get lifesaving information out to our communities so people can prepare and evacuate, and to go in and rescue people whenever and wherever needed.”
“This flooding showed, plain as day, how the decisions we make here in D.C. really matter for families back home,” Murray continued. “Twenty years ago, I fought for funding so the City of Mount Vernon could secure a flood wall. This week, that wall paid off big time—preventing major flooding from devastating downtown Mount Vernon. We also saw how other flood prevention infrastructure made a huge difference protecting communities all around my state. That’s an important reminder I want all of my colleagues to remember as we work on these funding bills. Prevention matters. Preparedness matters. Having strong infrastructure and a quick response saves lives… Because the only thing we ever know about the next crisis is that we need to be ready before it strikes.”
Murray concluded by saying, “Here’s my message to everyone back in Washington state who is dealing with the aftermath of these devastating floods: I know you have a long road ahead. But I promise you will not walk that road alone. I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ll be your voice here in Washington, D.C. And I will fight tooth and nail to make sure you get the support you need to build and recover.”
Last weekend, Senator Murray visited Snohomish and Skagit Counties to hear about ongoing response efforts and speak with local communities that have been hit hard by major flooding and extreme weather. In Snohomish County, Senator Murray heard from local first responders and emergency management officials and also toured affected areas around the city of Monroe including Tualco Valley and Ben Howard Road. In Skagit County, Senator Murray met with Mount Vernon Mayor Peter Donovan to discuss the ongoing response efforts in the region and to see firsthand how the Skagit County Flood Wall protected downtown Mount Vernon during the historic flooding—Murray secured the federal funds to help build the flood wall back in 2006. Senator Murray also visited the FEMA response center in Bothell to thank the staff for working around the clock to help coordinate local response efforts.
Last Thursday, Senator Murray led Washington state’s entire Congressional delegation in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to approve Governor Ferguson’s request for an expedited Emergency Declaration for the devastating storms and severe flooding hitting Washington state—that request was approved last Friday. Back in May, Senator Murray led a bipartisan, bicameral letter with over 80 of her colleagues urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supports local efforts to protect and harden our communities from natural disaster. Just recently, Washington and a multistate coalition won their lawsuit against the Trump administration over its unlawful attempt to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) BRIC program. As a longtime senior appropriator, Senator Murray has always fought to secure the federal resources Washington state needs to recover and rebuild from natural disasters—Senator Murray has worked hard to impress upon her colleagues that disaster relief should never be impeded by politics.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on the Senate floor today, are below:
“Thank you, M. President.
“You know, over the past week, my home state of Washington has experienced catastrophic and record-breaking flooding due to an ongoing atmospheric and winter weather event. It has been devastating, and with more rain coming, and further evacuations underway today, it remains dangerous.
“Earlier this morning, we saw the first reported death connected to the flooding—a tragic and sobering reminder of what is at stake.
“And as response and recovery efforts continue across my state, I want to take a moment to recognize the valiant effort of first responders, and teams at all levels coming together to get lifesaving information out to our communities so people can prepare and evacuate, and to go in and rescue people whenever and wherever needed.
“Last week, I led the Washington state delegation in requesting an expedited Emergency Declaration to get federal disaster response resources out to our state.
“I was glad to see that request quickly approved by FEMA. That’s how it should always work. We should always come together in times of tragedy and focus on helping people.
“And that’s exactly what I saw happening this past weekend, when I was on the ground in Washington state.
“I met with local officials, businessowners, and families. I saw, up close and personal, what our communities are facing and how they are responding.
“And I want to share a few things that were very clear to me this weekend. This flooding showed—plain as day—how the decisions we make here in D.C. really matter for families back home.
“Twenty years ago, I fought for funding so the City of Mount Vernon could secure a flood wall.
“This week, that wall paid off, big time—preventing major flooding from devastating downtown Mount Vernon.
“We also saw how flood prevention infrastructure made a huge difference protecting communities all around my state.
“That’s an important reminder I want all of my colleagues to remember as we work on these funding bills. Prevention matters. Preparedness matters. Having strong infrastructure and a quick response saves lives.
“That’s why I champion these kinds of investments every year: top notch weather forecasting, resilient infrastructure, disaster preparedness and response, and more.
“Because the only thing we ever know about the next crisis is that we need to be ready before it strikes.
“Another thing I saw when I was visiting the frontlines of the flooding this past weekend is how our local, state, tribal, and federal officials are all coming together to do incredible work.
“I really can’t say enough how grateful I am to all the experts and heroes who have been putting in very long hours, solving hard problems, and even putting themselves at risk to save lives and protect our communities during these floods.
“From the meteorologists and experts—monitoring and updating all of us on constantly changing conditions.
“Local officials, firefighters, and police departments—getting out important warnings, and getting people out of harm’s way.
“To the Coast Guard—doing search operations and flyovers to help evacuate people in danger.
“To the National Guard—supporting rescue and response missions, staffing traffic control points, and filling sandbags to divert floodwater.
“And of course, neighbors—everyday people—stepping up and lending a hand wherever they can help.
“It truly is inspiring to see.
“Now, one of the most important things I saw this weekend, when I’m hearing from folks about the flood damage, is that we are not out of the woods yet in Washington state, not even close.
“Not when it comes to the immediate threat of these floods, since the rain is continuing this week. Just this morning we saw a levee breach on the White River, and ‘GO NOW’ evacuations were issued for the City of Pacific in South King County.
“Not when it comes to landslides—which remain a huge risk at the moment.
“And certainly not when it comes to recovery. Mitigating disaster, responding to disaster—that is crucial, and we have done a good job so far.
“But our work is not done until we have tackled recovery.
“And while we still don’t know the full scope of this destruction, what we do know is the damage that has already been done is massive.
“Entire neighborhoods and huge swaths of farmland have been flooded. Some roads have buckled, some are covered in debris, some were just simply swept away. Businesses owners are returning to flooded shops and ruined inventory.
“There are families coming home only to find their house is gone. We have downed trees, we have downed powerlines, damaged wastewater facilities, and breached levees, and again, there will be more destructive flooding to come.
“The painful truth is: we have a lot of broken pieces floating across Washington state right now.
“It will be a slow, hard process to put this all back together again and help people get their lives back on track.
“So, here’s my message to everyone back in Washington state who’s dealing with the tremendous aftermath of these devastating floods: I know you have a long road ahead. But I promise you will not walk that road alone.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ll be your voice here in Washington, D.C. And I will fight tooth and nail to make sure you get the support you need to build and to recover.”
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