HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, August 1998 will long be remembered by the citizens
1-2 of Del Rio and Val Verde County, for the torrential rains that
1-3 ravaged that region, and the unprecedented flooding that followed,
1-4 caused loss of life and property that continues to affect countless
1-5 Texans; and
1-6 WHEREAS, This tragic occurrence resulted in the deaths of at
1-7 least nine individuals, while many others were separated from their
1-8 families during the flooding for extended periods of time, causing
1-9 great distress among the area's residents; in addition, hundreds of
1-10 homes were destroyed, damaged, or swept from their foundations,
1-11 leaving many families bereft of shelter and cherished personal
1-12 possessions; and
1-13 WHEREAS, Del Rio citizens were without potable water for
1-14 nearly eight weeks following the flooding, which contaminated the
1-15 city's underground water source and forced the city's 34,000
1-16 residents to rely on bottled water for cooking and drinking; and
1-17 WHEREAS, The flood, which reached widths of nearly one mile
1-18 in places, rose from the Rio Grande and submerged entire
1-19 neighborhoods in Del Rio and neighboring Ciudad Acuna; and other
1-20 border cities and towns also experienced the dramatic effects of
1-21 the wall of water as it followed the river-border's path to the
1-22 Gulf of Mexico, leaving massive destruction in its wake; and
1-23 WHEREAS, Although it is difficult to look back on this event
1-24 with anything other than sorrow and awe, this natural disaster did
2-1 help to forge the strength and faith of the numerous individuals
2-2 who joined together in an effort to save their fellow citizens and
2-3 to provide much-needed aid and assistance; and
2-4 WHEREAS, Tales of altruism abound, as family members,
2-5 neighbors, and volunteers sacrificed their personal safety in
2-6 heroic life-saving attempts, some of which ended in tragedy, but
2-7 most of which concluded in triumph; lives were lost and property
2-8 was destroyed, but the many brave Texans who battled the forces of
2-9 nature have once again demonstrated the resolve and determination
2-10 for which our state's citizens are known; and
2-11 WHEREAS, Adversity will often bring out the best in people,
2-12 as our innate survival and nurturing instincts pour forth and
2-13 envelop those around us who are suffering or in need, and it is
2-14 these traits that provide a glimpse of what we can be and what we
2-15 should aspire to be: friends, helpers, neighbors; and
2-16 WHEREAS, In addition to the federal emergency management
2-17 agencies and volunteers, some 1,600 individuals from nearly 50
2-18 state, federal, and private agencies and entities assisted during
2-19 the worst of the flooding and in its devastating aftermath; among
2-20 the groups that responded to the victims' distress were the Texas
2-21 National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas
2-22 Department of Transportation, the Texas Department of Criminal
2-23 Justice, Texas Task Force-One, the American Red Cross, the
2-24 Salvation Army, the United States Border Patrol, Lutheran Disaster
2-25 Response Services, and representatives of the City of Del Rio and
2-26 Val Verde County; and
2-27 WHEREAS, Other organizations and agencies that contributed
3-1 include the office of the attorney general, the United States
3-2 Public Health Service, the Texas Water Development Board, the Texas
3-3 Forest Service, the Texas Department of Housing and Community
3-4 Affairs, the General Services Commission, the Texas Department of
3-5 Health, the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
3-6 Retardation, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United
3-7 States Air Force, the National Park Service, the City of
3-8 Floresville Water Department, the Civil Air Patrol, the Texas
3-9 Natural Resource Conservation Commission, the Disaster Medical
3-10 Assistance Team (Tx-1), Del Rio Recovers, AmeriCorps, Southern
3-11 Baptist Disaster Relief, and the sheriff's departments of Jeff
3-12 Davis, Midland, Victoria, and Terrell counties; and
3-13 WHEREAS, All those associated with these public-spirited
3-14 organizations, as well as the many other noteworthy groups that
3-15 contributed vital assistance, are truly worthy of our highest
3-16 respect and admiration; these individuals possess not only the
3-17 can-do spirit of humanity, and their actions and deeds are indeed
3-18 deserving of special legislative recognition at this time; now,
3-19 therefore, be it
3-20 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-21 prepared for the citizens of Del Rio and Val Verde County in
3-22 commemoration of the outpouring of love and concern kindled by this
3-23 natural disaster and as a tribute to the lives of our fellow Texans
3-24 who perished during the terrible flood.
Gallego
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 288 was adopted by the House on May
21, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 288 was adopted by the Senate on
May 26, 1999, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor