[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 17 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 17

Expressing the sense of Congress with regard to providing humanitarian 
   assistance to countries of the Caribbean devastated by Hurricanes 
           Gustav and Ike and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2009

 Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Payne, 
  Mrs. Christensen, and Mr. Rush) submitted the following concurrent 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress with regard to providing humanitarian 
   assistance to countries of the Caribbean devastated by Hurricanes 
           Gustav and Ike and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna.

Whereas in May 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
        predicted that 2008 would be an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season;
Whereas from August 15, 2008, to September 7, 2008, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike 
        and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna devastated countries of the Caribbean 
        and many Southern and Eastern States of the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States have similarly faced the harsh 
        consequences of the recent hurricanes and tropical storms and can 
        empathize with the countries of the Caribbean as they begin the recovery 
        process;
Whereas in the Dominican Republic, Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storms Fay and 
        Hanna displaced 16,715 people, of whom 5,348 remained in official 
        shelters;
Whereas Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna damaged 3,343 houses 
        and destroyed 46 houses in the Dominican Republic;
Whereas Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna damaged 
        infrastructures in the Dominican Republic, including 9 of the country's 
        water systems;
Whereas the storms isolated 96 communities and negatively affected 9 roads and 
        12 bridges in the Dominican Republic;
Whereas the storms caused mudslides, resulting in 8 deaths in the Dominican 
        Republic;
Whereas the storms Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike affected 850,000 people in Haiti;
Whereas flooding in Haiti has led to nearly 600 deaths and displaced an 
        estimated 151,072 people, including over 111,391 living in shelters;
Whereas flooding in the port city of Gonaives, Haiti alone led to nearly 500 
        deaths, left over 37 people missing, left 40,000 people in shelters, and 
        left 250,000 people in need of assistance;
Whereas the storms destroyed 10,842 houses and damaged an additional 35,125 
        houses in Haiti;
Whereas according to the Government of Haiti, the series of storms may have left 
        as many as 1,000,000 Haitians homeless;
Whereas flooding and landslides cut off land routes and hindered delivery of 
        humanitarian assistance in Haiti;
Whereas in Haiti, Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna destroyed the bridge 
        linking the devastated region of Gonaives to St. Marc on the country's 
        mainland;
Whereas in Haiti, extensive agricultural areas of the Artibonite Valley are 
        flooded, and many crops remain underwater;
Whereas in Jamaica, Hurricane Gustav alone directly affected more than 4,000 
        people;
Whereas in Jamaica, the storm caused substantial damage to infrastructure and 
        caused flooding in at least 72 communities, rendering 120 roads 
        impassable, and affecting 65 percent of the country's water supply, 
        causing 12 deaths, and putting 248 people in shelters;
Whereas the storms contributed to heavy losses in Jamaica's agriculture sector, 
        decimating the banana crop, a primary export commodity in Jamaica;
Whereas in Turks and Caicos, Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike affected 
        12,000 people in the islands and destroyed nearly 90 percent of the 
        buildings on Grand Turk;
Whereas Grand Turk and South Caicos, the 2 islands most dependent on tourism, 
        were the worst hit by Hurricane Ike;
Whereas Hurricane Ike damaged almost 80 percent of the houses on Great Inagua 
        Islands in the Bahamas;
Whereas Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna also 
        impacted the people of Cuba;
Whereas Hurricane Gustav alone severely damaged an estimated 53 percent of the 
        houses in Cuba;
Whereas Hurricane Gustav was the worst hurricane to hit Cuba in over 50 years;
Whereas Hurricane Gustav displaced over 400,000 Cubans and damaged or destroyed 
        130,000 homes and caused severe damage to infrastructure;
Whereas Hurricane Ike affected the people of Cuba, causing 4 deaths, displacing 
        55,700 people, and forcing over 2,600,000 people to evacuate;
Whereas the financial burden of providing emergency and reconstruction 
        assistance to the devastated countries is much greater than the 
        Caribbean community can sustain by themselves;
Whereas the cost of providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean 
        continues to increase with each passing natural disaster;
Whereas in addition to needing disaster relief, Caribbean governments 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 Office of United 
        States Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is coordinating with the 
        United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), the United 
        Nations World Food Program, and the International Federation of Red 
        Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to provide urgently needed 
        food, potable water, temporary shelter, and other basic commodities;
Whereas the series of hurricanes and tropical storms, which have ripped through 
        the Caribbean, have again demonstrated that properly promulgated and 
        consistently enforced building and housing codes significantly reduce 
        the human and financial toll that natural disasters wreck on countries;
Whereas the Caribbean region is recognized as the third border of the United 
        States, and the economic turmoil caused by the series of hurricanes and 
        tropical storms in the Caribbean will have an effect on the United 
        States; and
Whereas the countries of the Caribbean will need significant assistance from the 
        international community for relief and reconstruction efforts: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) expresses solidarity with all people affected by the 
        2008 hurricane season;
            (2) 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 Gustav 
        and Ike and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna from August to 
        September 2008;
            (3) commends the efforts of the Caribbean-American 
        community to provide relief to family and friends suffering in 
        the region;
            (4) supports the efforts of the Administration to assist in 
        coordinating international humanitarian assistance to help the 
        people of the Caribbean region, assess the damage, and provide 
        relief to affected communities, particularly in the Dominican 
        Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Turks and 
        Caicos;
            (5) urges the international community to take all necessary 
        steps to provide emergency relief and support reconstruction 
        efforts in the Caribbean region;
            (6) urges the President to continue to make available to 
        nongovernmental organizations, private volunteer organizations, 
        United Nations agencies, and regional institutions the 
        necessary funding to help mitigate the effects of the recent 
        natural disasters that have devastated the countries of the 
        Caribbean; and
            (7) urges the President, acting through the Administrator 
        of the United States Agency for International Development, to 
        provide assistance in coordination with other donors to begin 
        the reconstruction of the Caribbean countries that suffered 
        heavy damage from the natural disasters of 2008 and to provide 
        assistance for the governments of recipient Caribbean countries 
        to promulgate and enforce relevant housing and building codes.
                                 <all>