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October 21, 2005 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE 23475 water everywhere from all the rain. At Le equipment safety and using motorcoaches to I have experienced the heart of your people. Place we drive through water to report in. move large numbers of people in an emer- Mark Sherwood, Mike and Denise Goyen, Once again the orders are to park and wait. gency. Dalen Grimm, indeed the entire crew from We spend more time driving around empty That is the end of his diary. He ends Prairie Lakes Church manifested the heart and waiting for orders than we do working. with a little paragraph that says: of Mary, the hands of Martha and the hope of Nothing is going to happen the rest of today. Jesus. In the parking area there are city buses from Thoughts of Craig Van Waardhuizen while My wife and I count our Iowa volunteers as Atlanta, GA. They were asked to come to the working through the Katrina and Rita hurri- among the best of the best. They worked area to help move people. Thus far they have canes in LA. I was lead member of a four hard, they were sensitive to people’s broken done nothing but sit and wait. We said wel- member team providing motorcoach service hearts, and they were a blessing to our come to the crowd. with two motorcoaches. I am a Terminal church, especially to my family and me. Nightfall comes with no place to obtain Manager and Operations Director for North- It is my desire to come to Iowa, to thank lodging. However, there are a couple of res- west Iowa Transportation, Inc (a motorcoach you and your people for a job well done. taurants open in the area and we can get a carrier in Iowa with membership in UMA, Sincerely, good meal. We spend our evening talking ABA and IMG). MIKE BARNETT, with other drivers and listening to all of the Craig Van Waardhuizen. Pastor of First Baptist Church, frustration just sitting around. This frustra- I thank my friend Craig for sharing Ocean Springs, MS. tion builds larger each day as you see re- his experiences with the people of the TEAM 1 sources sitting idle. Nation through this, but most impor- Mark Badura; Jared Coffin; Steve Coffin; September 25. tantly for the Senate and my Senate Kellie Dean; Michelle Ford; Adam Graber; Crystal Halverson; Mary Jungling; Nancy We are tired and weary from spending the colleagues to take this into consider- past six nights trying to sleep in the coach. Killian; Georgianne Meester; Paul Neal; Wil- This morning we are able to take a shower at ation. liam Pierce; Mark Sherwood; Jerry Steele; the truck stop. The $9.00 to get a shower is f Sara Steele; Andrew Zaug; Randy Zey; and Rob Zey. worth every cent. PRAIRIE LAKES RESPONDS TO I sure wouldn’t pay it. HURRICANE KATRINA TEAM 2 Mackenzie Carlisle; Bret Ford; Ally Fuller; After showers, we meet with the drivers of Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I the other eight coaches we were with in Denise Goyen; Mike Goyen; Pat Haley; Baton Rouge. As we are talking the dis- have one additional statement in re- Ramon Harp; Holly Hartley; Bethany Pals; patcher gives us orders to drive into New Or- gard to the Katrina situation. Mary Pals; Laney Poyner; Mark Sherwood; leans. We are going to be moving a National As I said earlier before I read Craig’s Julie Starbeck; Katie Trautmann; Lynn Guard unit out of New Orleans to the area diary, I am a member of the Prairie Trautmann; Beth Wion; and Rick Wion. where Rita has gone through. Lakes Baptist Church at Cedar Falls, TEAM 3 After taking most of the morning it get or- IA. Immediately after Katrina, our Barb Braun; Erica Braun; Mike Campbell; ganized the unit is ready to move out. We church in the following 3 weeks sent Lori Edgerton; Steve Ephraim; Kelly will be bringing up the rear of the convoy: three different delegations—in other Erickson; Lyndsey Fabel; Denise Goyen; Our route will be I–10 to Lafayette where the Mike Goyen; Dalen Grimm; Kimberly Han- unit has been reassigned. I have discovered words, three different teams; a team sen; Jean Johnson; Gayle Kucera; Bailey that these orders were issued at 1 a.m. this the first week, a different team the sec- Leymaster; Jessica Lippold; Aaron Merken; morning and it took eight hours for them to ond week, and a different team the Rebekah Morris; Jeff Norton; Lauren Page; move through channels to us and the mili- third week—to go down to Brookhaven, Joel Palmer; Jessie Paulson; Jeremy Sher- tary. What an amazing chain of command. MS, and help the First Baptist Church wood; Mark Sherwood; Dean Smock; Judy The commander of the unit fills us in on the in Ocean Springs, MS, in their efforts Smock; Jenna Wheatly; and Ellie Zieser. route and how to drive in a convoy. The to feed people who were in need and members of the unit are very happy to ride MISSION OF MERCY in the air conditioned coach. Upon arrival in house people who were in need and do other things. CEDAR FALLS CHURCH MEMBERS HELP Lafayette they set up a command center at EVACUEES IN MISSISSIPPI I have this letter which was sent to an old Service Master store. We have to wait (By Karen Heinselman) until the command releases us before we can the pastor of our church, Pastor John go back to Le Place. The afternoon goes by Fuller, from the pastor of the First BROOKHAVEN, MS.—Homeseekers paradise. That’s how Lincoln County residents par- slowly as we wait to be released from duty. Baptist Church in Oceans Springs, MS. tial to Brookhaven introduce the southwest The commander holds us as he sees no reason It says: Mississippi town to strangers. ‘‘It might not to be stationed in Lafayette as they have Dear Pastor: look like it, but people like living here,’’ very little damage. Once again, I want to ask I have never had the privilege of meeting boasted Clifford Britt, manager of the who is in charge. About 9 p.m. we are re- you—but I know you because I have experi- Brookhaven Lincoln County Airport leased to go back to Le Place. enced the heart of your people. Mark Sher- A 17-person crew from Prairie Lakes Arriving in Le Place we find hundreds of wood, Mike and Denise Goyen, Dalen Grimm, Church in Cedar Falls in town to help with coaches parked and waiting for orders. This indeed the entire crew from Prairie Lakes hurricane relief hasn’t had time to assess brings back all the thoughts about wasteful Church manifested the heart of Mary, the Brookhaven’s best features. They drove in use of resources. Our time is up; we need to hands of Martha, the hope of Jesus. late Tuesday. They do have a deeper under- head back to Iowa. I make the arrangements My wife and I count our Iowa volunteers as standing of the disaster they are facing as to be released and we head out for home. among the best of the best. They worked they share meals and conversation with sur- September 26 hard, they were sensitive to the people’s bro- vivors of Hurricane Katrina. Another long night of driving and we fi- ken hearts, and they were a blessing to our ‘‘All I’ve talked to have lost everything,’’ nally get home, a very tired group. This has church, especially to my family and me. said Nancy Killian, 58, of Cedar Falls. ‘‘We proved to be another growing experience. It is my desire to come to Iowa, to thank mingle with them, give hugs when we can.’’ Sleeping every night in the motorcoach, only you and your people for the job well done. Located 100 miles north of New Orleans, getting one good meal a day, and only hav- Mike Barnett. Brookhaven has been an outpost for some ing two showers all week. We all learned a I ask unanimous consent to have 1,600 people displaced by the hurricane, said lot about ourselves and what we are able to Mayor Bob Massingill. Many evacuees have that statement printed in the RECORD, do when needed. moved on, but hundreds at the city’s six The hardest thing to accept this trip was along with the list of the people from shelters still need housing. sitting out the hurricane in the motorcoach. my church who were in teams 1, 2 and One hub of activity is Easthaven Southern It is very difficult to understand and accept 3, as well as an article from the Water- Baptist Church, a shelter for 1l0, although the fact that we were not allowed in the loo Courier which talks about this. for a time it served more than twice that FEMA building during the hurricane. Good There being no objection, the mate- number. Former Cedar Falls resident Merrill enough to be a safety valve, but not good rial was ordered to be printed in the Oster initiated the relationship between enough to be allowed in the building. Prairie Lakes and Easthaven. He learned of RECORD, as follows: Hopefully, at some point in the future I Easthaven’s challenge from family members will have an opportunity to share with the PRAIRIE LAKES RESPONDS TO HURRICANE at that church. He called friends in the Cedar right folks and work with them to improve KATRINA Valley who were looking for a way to help.

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