HR1137 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1137 LRB100 22204 ALS 40757 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On September 13, 2017, the National Hurricane Center began tracking a tropical wave that ultimately became Hurricane Maria; and

WHEREAS, Hurricane Maria became the tenth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the most intense tropical storm of the 2017 season; and

WHEREAS, On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm with sustained wind speeds of 155 miles per hour; and

WHEREAS, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands just 14 days after Hurricane Irma; and

WHEREAS, All of the 3.5 million residents of Puerto Rico lost power following Hurricanes Irma and Maria; and

WHEREAS, In the nearly seven months since Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, more than 40,000 people are still without electricity; and

WHEREAS, Puerto Rico is experiencing the longest blackout in U.S. history and second longest in world history, measured in customer hours of lost electricity service; and

WHEREAS, Eighty-five Ameren Illinois employees drove line and bucket trucks to Virginia to be shipped and later returned by barge to Puerto Rico; and

WHEREAS, Ninety-eight Ameren Illinois employees went voluntarily to Puerto Rico to assist the local utility in restoring power; and

WHEREAS, The employees who went to Puerto Rico faced unfamiliar and treacherous terrain on the island's mountains and in its rainforests; and

WHEREAS, These employees, along with utility workers from Ameren Missouri and Ameren Transmission, installed over 500 poles, over 400 transformers, and more than 100 miles of power lines; and

WHEREAS, Through the hard work of these employees and their 70 days on the island, approximately 9,200 customers in affected areas had their power restored; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the humanitarian efforts of the men and women of Ameren Illinois who volunteered to help restore electricity to the island of Puerto Rico, known affectionately as La Isla del Encanto; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Ameren Illinois Operations Team leads for their service to the people of Puerto Rico and as a symbol of our esteem and respect.