Whereas the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck
Chile in the early hours of Saturday, February 27, 2010, has claimed
approximatley 800 lives, according to government officials of Chile, and the
death toll is expected to continue to rise as assessments of the devastation
continue;
Whereas the earthquake hit most strongly in 6 central and
south regions, from the capital, Santiago, and the nearby port of Valparaíso in
central Chile, to the Bernardo O'Higgins, Maule, Bio Bio, and Araucanía regions
of the south;
Whereas the regions most strongly hit are home to about 60
percent of the 17,000,000 inhabitants of Chile and account for approximately 70
percent of the gross domestic product of Chile;
Whereas the earthquake generated some tsunami activity, in
addition to the earthquake, and several hundred people were killed in the
coastal towns of Constitución and Talcahuano as a result;
Whereas many of the villages in the Juan Fernández
archipelago were destroyed by tsunami activity;
Whereas the earthquake left an estimated 2,000,000 people
homeless and damaged more than 1,000,000 homes, 1/3 of
which may have to be demolished;
Whereas the earthquake, classified as a
megathrust
earthquake, unleashed an estimated 50 gigatons of
energy and broke about 340 miles of the fault zone, according to the United
States Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center;
Whereas aftershocks have continued, seriously complicating
efforts to survey the damage and rescue survivors despite the noble efforts of
local teams;
Whereas the Department of Defense has estimated that
reconstruction costs could exceed $30,000,000,000, equivalent to 20 percent of
the 2009 gross domestic product of Chile;
Whereas damage to ports and other infrastructure will
hinder important exports and economic recovery;
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Chile
on March 2, 2010, and promised an extensive aid package, and the United States
Ambassador to Chile requested emergency relief funding;
Whereas Chile enjoys excellent relations with the United
States since its transition back to democracy, and both countries have
emphasized similar priorities in the region, designed to strengthen democracy,
improve human rights, and advance free trade;
Whereas Chile and the United States also maintain strong
commercial ties, which have become more extensive since a bilateral free trade
agreement between the two countries entered into force in 2004;
Whereas since 2004, the Government of Chile has worked
with the Government of the United States and the international community as
part of the multinational peacekeeping force in Haiti, first as a part of the
Multinational Interim Force-Haiti (MIFH) and subsequently as a part of the
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), committing more human
material resources to MINUSTAH than it has to any previous peacekeeping
mission; and
Whereas the Government of Chile and the Government of the
United States and other regional partners have worked together in recent years
to resolve a number of political issues in the Western Hemisphere, including
crises in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Honduras, among others: Now, therefore, be
it
That the Senate—
(1)expresses its
profound concern, deepest sympathies, and solidarity on behalf of the people of
the United States to the people and Government of Chile following the massive
earthquake;
(2)applauds the
friendship between the Governments and people of the United States and Chile
and recommits to mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral, multilateral,
and Hemispheric contexts;
(3)strongly
encourages the United States Government, with full consideration of the
necessary institutional instruments, to offer all appropriate assistance, if
requested by the Government of Chile, to aid in the immediate rescue and
ongoing recovery efforts undertaken by the Government of Chile; and
(4)encourages the
international community to join in relief efforts as determined by the
Government of Chile.