[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 505 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 505

  Expressing the sense of sympathy of the House of Representatives to 
those who perished or were displaced in the Philippines as a result of 
                    the December 16, 2011 flooding.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 20, 2011

 Mr. Austria submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of sympathy of the House of Representatives to 
those who perished or were displaced in the Philippines as a result of 
                    the December 16, 2011 flooding.

Whereas on Friday, December 16, 2011, Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong) struck the 
        island of Mindanao with over seven inches of rain;
Whereas because Mindanao historically only receives two inches of rain in 
        December and is bypassed by most typhoons and tropical storms, the 
        island was caught unprepared for the devastating flash floods and mud 
        slides that resulted from this storm;
Whereas close to 1,000 people have perished from the December 16, 2011, flash 
        flooding, many from the hardest hit cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro;
Whereas 143,000 people have been affected by Tropical Storm Washi, including 
        45,000 evacuees, of which almost 16,000 are children;
Whereas Philippines President Benigno Aquino III has declared a state of 
        national calamity as the country recovers from the tropical storm, 
        including relieving overcapacity morgues and burying the dead to avoid 
        the spread of disease and also caring for the thousands of evacuees who 
        currently lack sufficient water, food, and other necessities;
Whereas Tropical Storm Washi has been called the deadliest storm anywhere in the 
        world in 2011; and
Whereas the United States and the Philippines are close allies with a strong 
        history of friendship and international cooperation: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) mourns with the people of the Philippines and all the 
        areas affected for the horrific loss of life caused by Tropical 
        Storm Washi, and the ensuing floods;
            (2) conveys its deepest sympathy and condolences to the 
        relatives of the victims of this tragedy;
            (4) reaffirms the longstanding friendship and cooperation 
        shared between the United States and the Philippines, and 
        expresses its strong desire to continue and strengthen this 
        relationship in the future;
            (5) pledges its support to assist in disaster relief, or 
        otherwise provide support to reduce further loss of life and 
        suffering of the Filipino people; and
            (6) urges the United States Government to continue to work 
        with the people and the leadership of the Republic of the 
        Philippines during their recovery and reconstruction efforts.
                                 <all>