By Gallego                                           H.C.R. No. 288
         Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
         Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
                             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
 2-1           WHEREAS, Although it is difficult to look back on this event
 2-2     with anything other than sorrow and awe, this natural disaster did
 2-3     help to forge the strength and faith of the numerous individuals
 2-4     who joined together in an effort to save their fellow citizens and
 2-5     to provide much-needed aid and assistance; and
 2-6           WHEREAS, Tales of altruism abound, as family members,
 2-7     neighbors, and volunteers sacrificed their personal safety in
 2-8     heroic life-saving attempts, some of which ended in tragedy, but
 2-9     most of which concluded in triumph; lives were lost and property
2-10     was destroyed, but the many brave Texans who battled the forces of
2-11     nature have once again demonstrated the resolve and determination
2-12     for which our state's citizens are known; and
2-13           WHEREAS, Adversity will often bring out the best in people,
2-14     as our innate survival and nurturing instincts pour forth and
2-15     envelop those around us who are suffering or in need, and it is
2-16     these traits that provide a glimpse of what we can be and what we
2-17     should aspire to be:  friends, helpers, neighbors; and
2-18           WHEREAS, In addition to the federal emergency management
2-19     agencies and volunteers, some 1,600 individuals from nearly 50
2-20     state, federal, and private agencies and entities assisted during
2-21     the worst of the flooding and in its devastating aftermath; among
2-22     the groups that responded to the victims' distress were the Texas
2-23     National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas
2-24     Department of Transportation, the Texas Department of Criminal
2-25     Justice, Texas Task Force-One, the American Red Cross, the
2-26     Salvation Army, the United States Border Patrol, Lutheran Disaster
 3-1     Response Services, and representatives of the City of Del Rio and
 3-2     Val Verde County; and
 3-3           WHEREAS, Other organizations and agencies that contributed
 3-4     include the office of the attorney general, the United States
 3-5     Public Health Service, the Texas Water Development Board, the Texas
 3-6     Forest Service, the Texas Department of Housing and Community
 3-7     Affairs, the General Services Commission, the Texas Department of
 3-8     Health, the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
 3-9     Retardation, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United
3-10     States Air Force, the National Park Service, the City of
3-11     Floresville Water Department, the Civil Air Patrol, the Texas
3-12     Natural Resource Conservation Commission, the Disaster Medical
3-13     Assistance Team (Tx-1), Del Rio Recovers, AmeriCorps, Southern
3-14     Baptist Disaster Relief, and the sheriff's departments of Jeff
3-15     Davis, Midland, Victoria, and Terrell Counties; and
3-16           WHEREAS, All those associated with these public-spirited
3-17     organizations, as well as the many other noteworthy groups that
3-18     contributed vital assistance, are truly worthy of our highest
3-19     respect and admiration; these individuals possess not only the
3-20     can-do spirit of humanity, and their actions and deeds are indeed
3-21     deserving of special legislative recognition at this time; now,
3-22     therefore, be it
3-23           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-24     prepared for the citizens of Del Rio and Val Verde County in
3-25     commemoration of the outpouring of love and concern kindled by this
3-26     natural disaster and as a tribute to the lives of our fellow Texans
 4-1     who perished during the terrible flood.