Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise today to commend the residents of Sonoma and Marin Counties in California for their courageous response to the…”

“I rise today to commend the residents of Sonoma and Marin Counties in California for their courageous response to the floods which ravaged our communities and much of California last week. Law enforcement, county workers, emergency and rescue crews, and the National Guard worked double duty. Businesses, like the Bank of America and Safeway, donated space, clothing, and food, and finally volunteers and neighbors came together in a breathtaking effort to protect homes, streets, stores, and farms, and, most importantly, to save lives. Mr. Speaker, nobody better exemplifies the spirit of the people of any district than John Alpin, a Red Cross volunteer and manager of the Sebastopol emergency shelter. John spent his first morning away from work after several 24-hour workdays setting up another shelter in Santa Rosa. Mr. Speaker, the floodwaters may have risen quickly in my district in northern California, but they could not outpace the rapid and generous response of the brave people of Sonoma and Marin Counties.”