Political Quotes

“it is with heartfelt sympathy that I stand before you today to offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends who lost their loved ones in the flash floods that swept through the Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest Campgrounds in the early morning hours of June 11, 2010. Approximately 8 inches of rain fell in 1 hour overnight, providing very little warning to campers of the danger. The warnings went unheard early Friday morning; the campground has no sirens, no park ranger on site, poor radio reception, and spotty cell phone service. The Caddo and Little Missouri rivers rose by 20 feet overnight, engulfing the hikers and campers who were spending the night in tents along the rivers in the isolated Ouachita Mountains. The 54-unit campground was quickly inundated with water, which was rising as quickly as 8 feet per hour. The water was so violent it overturned RVs and peeled asphalt off the roads. Twenty people, in some instances several members from the same family including young children, lost their lives in this tragedy. Among those lost were eight Louisianans, and my heart goes out to the Smith family, who lost Anthony, Joey, and Katelynn; to the Basinger family, who lost Shane and Kinsley in Gloster; and the Roeder family in Luling who, lost Kay, Debbie, and Bruce. The 20 people lost to this tragedy will be greatly missed by their families, friends, and communities.”