Whereas, on January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0
on the Richter scale and its aftershocks devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti and
the surrounding areas, killing potentially 100,000 people, injuring hundreds of
thousands more people, and leaving many hundreds of thousands of people
homeless;
Whereas Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western
Hemisphere, has an estimated 54 percent of its population living on less than
$1 per day, 120,000 people living with HIV, 29,333 new cases of Tuberculosis
reported in 2007, and nearly 400,000 children living in orphanages;
Whereas, despite the heroic efforts of the Haitian people
and the support of the international community, Haiti remains seriously
weakened by prior natural disasters, including an unprecedented string of
devastating tropical storms in 2008 that left almost 500 Haitians dead and
affected hundreds of thousands more people during an acute food crisis;
Whereas these disasters have grievously undermined Haiti’s
struggle to rebuild its infrastructure and to restore critical services related
to health, education, poverty, and hunger to create effective governmental and
nongovernmental institutions;
Whereas Haiti has struggled for many years to overcome
systemic threats to public health and shortages of food, potable water, and
cooking fuel, significant environmental degradation, and political and economic
fragility;
Whereas, on January 13, 2010, President Obama stated,
I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated,
and aggressive effort to save lives. The people of Haiti will have the full
support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped
beneath the rubble, and to deliver the humanitarian relief – the food, water,
and medicine – that Haitians will need in the coming days.
;
Whereas on January 13, 2010, Rajiv Shah, the Director of
the United States Agency for International Development stated that the United
States Government is working aggressively and in a highly coordinated
way across the Federal Government to bring all of the assets and capacities we
have to bear to quickly and effectively provide as much assistance as
possible.
;
Whereas, on January 14, 2010, President Obama pledged
$100,000,000 in immediate assistance to the people of Haiti, and dispatched the
82nd Airborne Division, a Marine Expeditionary Unit, the USS Carl Vinson, the
USS Bataan, the United States Navy hospital ship, the USS Comfort, and several
Disaster Assistant Response Teams, to aid in relief efforts;
Whereas the international community, which has generously
provided security, development, and humanitarian assistance to Haiti, has
suffered a substantial blow during the earthquake with the collapse of the
headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti with
approximately 150 staff members inside, including the head of the mission, Hédi
Annabi, representing the largest single loss of life in United Nations history;
and
Whereas, despite the aforementioned losses, the United
Nations continues to coordinate efforts on the ground in Haiti, and the United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has pledged that the community of
nations will unite in its resolve and help Haiti to overcome this latest trauma
and begin the work of social and economic reconstruction that will carry this
proud nation forward.
.
Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)expresses
profound sympathy to, and unwavering support for, the people of Haiti, who have
suffered over many years and face catastrophic conditions in the aftermath of
the January 12, 2010 earthquake, and sympathy to the members of the
international community in Haiti, including the staff of the United States
Embassy in Port-au-Prince;
(2)applauds the
rapid and concerted mobilization by President Obama to provide immediate
emergency humanitarian assistance to Haiti, and the leadership of Secretary of
State Clinton, USAID Administrator Shah, and General Fraser of the United
States Southern Command in marshaling United States Government resources and
personnel to address both the short- and long-term crises in Haiti;
(3)urges that all
appropriate efforts be made to secure the safety of Haitian orphans;
(4)urges that all
appropriate efforts be made to sustain assistance to Haiti beyond the immediate
humanitarian crisis to help the Haitian people with appropriate humanitarian,
developmental, and infrastructure assistance needed to overcome the effects of
past disasters and the earthquake, and to secure a more stable and sustainable
future;
(5)expresses
appreciation for the international community’s ongoing and renewed commitment
to Haiti’s security and recovery;
(6)acknowledges the
profound sympathy of the people of the United States for the families and
colleagues of United Nations officials who lost their lives and the continued
support for the peacekeepers who are working around the clock to provide
critical humanitarian support for all those affected by the earthquake;
(7)urges all nations
to commit to assisting the people of Haiti with their long-term needs;
and
(8)expresses support
for the United States Embassy team in Port-au-Prince, members of the United
States Coast Guard, United States Armed Forces, and other United States
Government agencies who are valiantly rescuing thousands of United States
citizens and Haitians under extremely adverse conditions.