Alex Mooney: “On June 23, my home State of West Virginia experienced some of the worst flooding in our State's history. Here is a…”

“On June 23, my home State of West Virginia experienced some of the worst flooding in our State's history. Here is a picture of a damaged home in Elk View, in Kanawha County, West Virginia, very typical of what was seen during the flooding. More than 20 West Virginians lost their lives, hundreds lost their homes, and thousands lost access to water and electricity for an extended period of time. Like my colleague, Evan Jenkins, from West Virginia's First Congressional District, who spoke earlier, my thoughts and prayers are with all those who have suffered through this terrible tragedy. I traveled throughout the flood-damaged areas last week and was truly moved by what I saw. I saw and met a pastor who emptied his entire bank account to buy food for his neighbors. I saw an army of volunteers, all of different political, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, donating their time and money to help. I saw members of the National Guard using their military training to help those in need. Mr. Speaker, I saw West Virginians coming together in the most trying of times, as resilient as ever, and full of hope: a hope that we can rebuild, a hope that recovery is not a question but a certainty. West Virginia will rebuild, and we will rebuild stronger than ever. But this is going to be a long road to recovery. Our communities have been tested.…”