[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 408 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 408

Expressing sincere condolences and support for assistance to the people 
 of the Philippines and all those affected by the tragic Super Typhoon 
                 Haiyan (Yolanda) of November 8, 2013.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 13, 2013

  Ms. Speier (for herself, Mr. Honda, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. 
    Moore, Ms. Hahn, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Schiff, Mr. 
  Sherman, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Grayson, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. 
   McIntyre, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. Meng, Ms. Chu, and Mr. 
Pascrell) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing sincere condolences and support for assistance to the people 
 of the Philippines and all those affected by the tragic Super Typhoon 
                 Haiyan (Yolanda) of November 8, 2013.

Whereas, on November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) made 
        landfall and hit the eastern seaboard of the Philippine archipelago;
Whereas the typhoon brought sustained winds of 147 miles per hour, gusts of 170 
        to 190 miles per hour, waves as high as 45 feet, and up to 15.75 inches 
        of rain in some places, making it the year's strongest storm, and 
        potentially the strongest typhoon ever recorded at landfall;
Whereas approximately 7 million Filipinos have been affected by the typhoon and 
        nearly 582,000 people were forced from and evacuated their homes, 
        according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 
        of the Philippines;
Whereas among the hardest hit was the coastal city of Tacloban on the island of 
        Leyte, which 70 years ago was the first town to be liberated by General 
        Douglas MacArthur from the Imperial Japanese occupation;
Whereas Tacloban was almost completely submerged by waves of up to 40 feet, with 
        70 to 80 percent of the city's structures now destroyed, according to 
        Elmer Soria, the chief superintendent and regional police director;
Whereas, as of November 12, the typhoon was responsible for nearly 1,800 deaths, 
        and the estimates of the total death toll in Tacloban alone could climb 
        as high as 10,000;
Whereas the United Nation's Children Fund estimates that 1.7 million children 
        lived in the pathway of the typhoon;
Whereas in the wake of a natural disasters and the subsequent breakdown of 
        protective societal norms, the vulnerabilities of women and girls are 
        more acute;
Whereas the schools and gymnasiums and other sites that were designated as 
        evacuation centers failed to hold up against the winds, as roofs ripped 
        off, windows shattered, and ceilings caved in, according to Lynette Lim, 
        spokeswoman for Save the Children;
Whereas videos and aerial surveillance show vast stretches of land flattened and 
        decimated;
Whereas initial reports say that most of the deaths were from drowning or 
        collapsed buildings and that many communities are now without access to 
        communication, water, food, and aid;
Whereas, by November 10, President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines 
        declared a state of calamity;
Whereas Interior Secretary Roxas of the Philippines said that the impact of the 
        typhoon was like a tsunami hit, because moving from the shore to one 
        kilometer inland there are no structures standing;
Whereas Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, head of a United Nations disaster assessment 
        coordination team, said that there was ``destruction on a massive scale 
        in Tacloban'', where ``there are cars thrown like tumbleweed'', and that 
        ``the last time I saw something of this scale was in the aftermath of 
        the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami'';
Whereas the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) estimates that nearly 2.5 
        million people will require immediate food assistance in the aftermath 
        of the typhoon;
Whereas the global community, including governments, organizations, and private 
        relief groups, has speedily and compassionately rallied to assist the 
        Government of the Philippines in providing food, aid, shelter, monetary 
        donations, and logistical support;
Whereas the United States Government's military and civilian aid was dispatched 
        immediately following a request for international assistance by the 
        Philippine Government;
Whereas the Department of Defense has directed the Pacific Command to support 
        the United States Government humanitarian relief operations in the 
        Philippines in the wake of the typhoon;
Whereas the first wave of the United States military force, a team of 90 Marines 
        and sailors, flew to the Philippines on Sunday, November 11, to assist 
        with search and rescue operations and provide air support;
Whereas, by November 14, 2,000 United States servicemembers will have arrived in 
        the Philippines on the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON;
Whereas the United States Government is providing $20 million in immediate 
        humanitarian assistance, including the provision of emergency shelter, 
        food assistance, relief commodities, and water, sanitation, and hygiene 
        support;
Whereas the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance of the United States 
        Agency for International Development activated a Disaster Assistance 
        Response Team to conduct initial damage assessment in affected areas, 
        liaise with other humanitarian and government actors in the country, and 
        recommend appropriate response options;
Whereas the Filipino-American community is the second largest Asian-American and 
        Pacific Islander ethnic group in the United States, with a population of 
        approximately 3.4 million;
Whereas Filipino-Americans across the Nation immediately mobilized to establish 
        disaster relief funds for those in their homeland;
Whereas the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns is appealing to increase 
        donations for its Bayanihan Relief and Rehabilitation Campaign to assist 
        the impacted areas in the Philippines;
Whereas in 1941, more than 250,000 Filipino soldiers responded to President 
        Roosevelt's call to arms and fought under the American flag during World 
        War II and made the ultimate sacrifice, and many of these Filipino 
        veterans have become proud United States citizens; and
Whereas President Barack Obama affirmed the support and assistance of the United 
        States to the Philippine people, as well as the spirit of ``Bayanihan'', 
        and declared that ``the United States is already providing significant 
        humanitarian assistance, and we stand ready to further assist the 
        Government's relief and recovery efforts'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) mourns with the people of the Philippines and all of 
        the countries affected by the horrific loss of life caused by 
        the tragic Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which struck the 
        Philippines on November 8, 2013;
            (2) expresses its deepest condolences and sympathy to the 
        families of the victims of this tragedy;
            (3) applauds the prompt commitments of support and 
        humanitarian efforts already underway by the international 
        community, relief agencies, and private citizens;
            (4) commends the United States Government for providing $20 
        million of immediate humanitarian assistance;
            (5) reaffirms the longstanding friendship shared between 
        the United States and the Philippines;
            (6) pledges its full support and solidarity with the people 
        of the Philippines and all others affected by this tragedy as 
        they struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of this 
        disaster;
            (7) urges the United States Government to continue to 
        provide assistance to the Philippines during its recovery and 
        reconstruction efforts;
            (8) urges the United States Government to coordinate with 
        the international community and humanitarian agents in 
        prioritizing the protection of women and girls in the aftermath 
        of this disaster; and
            (9) urges the United States Government to continue working 
        closely with the Philippines to strengthen disaster risk 
        reduction and mitigation strategies at the local and national 
        levels.
                                 <all>