[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 496 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 496

Expressing the sense of Congress with regard to providing humanitarian 
   assistance to countries of the Caribbean devastated by Hurricanes 
                  Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 22, 2004

Ms. Lee (for herself, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. 
 Meeks of New York, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. Leach, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Payne, 
    Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Kilpatrick, and Ms. Waters) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress with regard to providing humanitarian 
   assistance to countries of the Caribbean devastated by Hurricanes 
                  Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.

Whereas in May 2004, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) 
        predicted that 2004 would be an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season;
Whereas from August to September 2004 Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and 
        Jeanne devastated countries of the Caribbean and the southern, 
        midwestern, and eastern regions of the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States, who have encountered the harsh 
        consequences of the recent hurricanes, can empathize with the countries 
        of the Caribbean as they begin the recovery process;
Whereas Hurricane Frances displaced 800 people and destroyed 80 homes in the 
        Bahamas;
Whereas Hurricane Frances caused an estimated $125,000,000 in damage to the 
        islands of the Bahamas;
Whereas four hurricanes have struck the region within five weeks;
Whereas 90 percent of homes in Grenada sustained significant damage as a result 
        of Hurricane Ivan;
Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that 60,000 of 
        the 95,000 inhabitants of Grenada were made homeless as a result of the 
        devastation;
Whereas Hurricane Ivan is the worst natural disaster to hit Jamaica in 50 years;
Whereas an estimated 13,000 Jamaicans were displaced during Hurricane Ivan;
Whereas more than 60 people died and hundreds were injured as a result of 
        Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan;
Whereas as a result of Hurricane Jeanne, 700 people died in Haiti while another 
        1,000 people are currently missing;
Whereas many others have died in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico due to 
        Hurricane Jeanne;
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development reports that 
        there is flooding in more than 80 percent of Gonaives, Haiti, and more 
        than 30 percent of Port-de-Paix, Haiti;
Whereas hurricane recovery assistance is being sought from the Caribbean-
        American community, the European Union, and Canada;
Whereas the financial burden of providing emergency and reconstruction 
        assistance to the devastated countries is much greater than the 
        Caribbean region can sustain by itself;
Whereas the cost of providing humanitarian emergency assistance to the countries 
        of the Caribbean continues to increase with each natural disaster;
Whereas the cost of assisting Grenada, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Dominican 
        Republic, Haiti, and other island nations with reconstruction after the 
        hurricane season of 2004 could exceed $250,000,000;
Whereas in addition to disaster relief, governments of the countries of the 
        Caribbean are under pressure to secure their communities and prevent 
        looters and other criminals from causing further harm to their citizens 
        who are struggling to recover from the devastation caused by the 
        hurricanes;
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development's Office of 
        United States Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is coordinating with 
        the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) and members of 
        the Eastern Caribbean Donor Group (ECDG), including the Pan American 
        Health Organization (PAHO), International Federation of Red Cross and 
        Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the United Nations Development Program 
        (UNDP), and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA);
Whereas multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank and the Inter-
        American Development Bank, and other international organizations, such 
        as the United Nations and the Organization of American States, have 
        joined the United States in providing urgently needed assistance to the 
        countries of the Caribbean that have suffered the most from the effects 
        of the hurricanes;
Whereas the damage caused by the hurricanes have demonstrated that proper 
        building and housing codes that are consistently enforced significantly 
        reduce the human and financial toll caused by natural disasters;
Whereas the Caribbean region is recognized as the third border of the United 
        States and the economic turmoil caused by the hurricanes of August and 
        September 2004 will have an inherent effect on the security of the 
        United States; and
Whereas the countries of the Caribbean will need significant assistance from the 
        international community for both relief and reconstruction efforts: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) commends the governments of the countries of the 
        Caribbean for their efforts to respond and assist the people of 
        the region after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Charley, 
        Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne from August to September 2004;
            (2) commends the efforts of the Caribbean-American 
        community to provide relief to family and friends suffering in 
        the region;
            (3) supports the efforts of the United States Government to 
        assist in coordinating international efforts to help the people 
        of the region, particularly in Grenada, Jamaica, Haiti, and the 
        Bahamas, with assessing damage and providing relief to affected 
        communities;
            (4) urges the international community to take all necessary 
        steps to provide emergency relief and support reconstruction 
        efforts; and
            (5) urges the President, acting through the Administrator 
        of the United States Agency for International Development to--
                    (A) make available to private volunteer 
                organizations, United Nations agencies, and regional 
                institutions the necessary funding to mitigate the 
                effects of the recent natural disasters that have 
                devastated the countries of the Caribbean; and
                    (B) provide assistance with the promulgation and 
                enforcement of housing and building codes in the 
                countries of the Caribbean.
                                 <all>