[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 101 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 101

  Expressing the sense of the Senate relating to the March 11, 2011, 
                    earthquake and tsunami in Japan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 14, 2011

Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Akaka, 
 Mr. Alexander, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Begich, Mr. 
  Bennet, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. 
  Boxer, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Burr, Ms. 
Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coats, 
   Mr. Coburn, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Coons, Mr. 
Corker, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Ensign, Mr. 
  Enzi, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Franken, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. 
     Grassley, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. 
   Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johanns, Mr. 
   Johnson of Wisconsin, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Kirk, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, 
   Mr. Lee, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Manchin, Mr. McCain, Mrs. 
  McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Moran, Ms. 
Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Nelson of Florida, 
Mr. Paul, Mr. Portman, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
 Rockefeller, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mrs. 
 Shaheen, Mr. Shelby, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, 
Mr. Toomey, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Vitter, 
   Mr. Warner, Mr. Webb, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Wyden) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Senate relating to the March 11, 2011, 
                    earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Whereas at 2:46 pm on March 11, 2011, an earthquake initially reported as 
        measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, the strongest recorded in more than 
        100 years in Japan, occurred near the Tohoku region of Northeast Japan, 
        81 miles off the coast from Sendai City;
Whereas intense shaking could be felt from Tokyo to Kamaishi, an arc of roughly 
        360 miles;
Whereas the earthquake generated a massive tsunami that caused widespread damage 
        to a swath of the northeast Japanese coastline and traveled across the 
        Pacific Ocean, causing damage to coastal communities as far away as the 
        States of Hawaii, Oregon, and California;
Whereas authorities in Japan confirm at least 2,800 deaths from the earthquake 
        and resulting tsunami, a toll that is expected to rise as many thousands 
        remain missing as of the date of approval of this resolution;
Whereas approximately 400,000 people have been displaced from their homes and 
        are now living in shelters or with relatives;
Whereas within minutes of the earthquake, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration alerted emergency workers in the States of Hawaii, 
        California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska that a potentially 
        catastrophic tsunami was heading toward those States and mobilized the 
        Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific;
Whereas the earthquake forced the emergency shutdown of 4 nuclear power 
        facilities in Japan, representing a significant loss of electric 
        generation capacity for Japan and necessitating rolling blackouts in 
        portions of Tokyo;
Whereas the earthquake and the resulting tsunami severely damaged the Fukushima 
        Daiichi nuclear power station, precipitating a loss of power for cooling 
        systems at that facility and necessitating emergency measures to prevent 
        serious radiation leakages;
Whereas emergency management experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency, 
        the Department of Energy, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are 
        continuing to work with authorities in Japan to address the challenges 
        posed by the damage to the Daiichi nuclear facility;
Whereas international response to the disaster has been swift, with search and 
        rescue teams arriving from the United States, the United Kingdom, 
        Australia, New Zealand, France, and China, among other countries;
Whereas the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its support vessels have 
        deployed to the earthquake region to participate in search and rescue 
        and relief operations;
Whereas elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), a United States 
        Agency for International Development Disaster Assistance Response Team 
        (DART), and other United States military and civilian personnel have 
        deployed to Japan to render aid and help coordinate United States relief 
        efforts;
Whereas January 19, 2011, marked the 51st anniversary of the signing of the 
        United States-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, which has 
        played an indispensable role in ensuring the security and prosperity of 
        both the United States and Japan, as well as in promoting regional peace 
        and stability;
Whereas the United States-Japan alliance is based upon shared values, democratic 
        ideals, free markets, and a mutual respect for human rights, individual 
        liberties, and the rule of law;
Whereas Japan is among the most generous donor nations, providing billions of 
        dollars of foreign assistance, including disaster relief, annually to 
        developing countries; and
Whereas the Self-Defense Forces of Japan have contributed broadly to global 
        security missions, including relief operations following the tsunami in 
        Indonesia in 2005, reconstruction in Iraq from 2004 to 2006, and relief 
        assistance following the earthquake in Haiti in 2010: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) mourns the loss of life resulting from the earthquake 
        and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011;
            (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the families of 
        the victims of this tragedy;
            (3) expresses its sympathies to the survivors who are still 
        suffering in the aftermath of this natural disaster;
            (4) commends the government of Japan for its courageous and 
        professional response to this natural disaster;
            (5) supports the efforts already underway by the United 
        States Government, relief agencies, and private citizens to 
        assist the government and people of Japan in their time of 
        need; and
            (6) urges the United States and the international community 
        to provide additional humanitarian assistance to aid the 
        survivors and support reconstruction efforts.
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