[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 49 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 49

   Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on 
January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives in the earthquake 
  and in Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, and expressing continued 
                  solidarity with the Haitian people.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 12, 2017

  Ms. Lee (for herself, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Maxine Waters of 
  California, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Conyers, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Wilson of 
Florida, Mr. Rush, Mr. Engel, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Lowey, and 
Ms. Tsongas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on 
January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives in the earthquake 
  and in Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, and expressing continued 
                  solidarity with the Haitian people.

Whereas, on January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the country of 
        Haiti;
Whereas according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake 
        epicenter was located approximately 15 miles southwest of the capital, 
        Port-au-Prince;
Whereas according to USGS, the earthquake was followed by 59 aftershocks of 
        magnitude 4.5 or greater, the most severe measuring 6.0;
Whereas according to the Government of Haiti, more than 316,000 people died as a 
        result of the earthquake;
Whereas according to the United Nations and the International Organization for 
        Migration, an estimated 3,000,000 people were directly affected by the 
        disaster, nearly one-third of the country's population, and 1,300,000 
        people were displaced to settlements;
Whereas casualty numbers and infrastructure damage, including to roads, ports, 
        hospitals, and residential dwellings, place the earthquake as the worst 
        cataclysm to hit Haiti in over two centuries and, proportionally, one of 
        the world's worst natural disasters in modern times;
Whereas the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) conducted by the Government of 
        Haiti, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American 
        Development Bank, and other experts estimates that damage and economic 
        losses totaled $7,800,000,000, approximately 120 percent of Haiti's 
        gross domestic product in 2009;
Whereas the Managing PDNAs estimated that $11,500,000,000 over three years would 
        be required for Haiti's reconstruction and to lay the groundwork for 
        long-term development;
Whereas in 2012, the World Bank estimated that nearly 60 percent of Haitians 
        were living under the national poverty line and Haiti ranked 163 out of 
        188 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index;
Whereas President Barack Obama vowed the ``unwavering support'' of the United 
        States and pledged a ``swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save 
        lives and support the recovery in Haiti'';
Whereas Congress passed House Resolution 1021 on January 21, 2010, on a vote of 
        411 to 1, expressing its ``deepest condolences and sympathy for the 
        horrific loss of life'' and bipartisan ``support for the recovery and 
        long-term reconstruction needs of Haiti'';
Whereas the response to the tragedy from the global community, and especially 
        from the countries of the Western Hemisphere, has been overwhelmingly 
        positive;
Whereas the initial emergency response of the men and women of the United States 
        Government, led by the United States Agency for International 
        Development and United States Southern Command, was swift and resolute;
Whereas individuals, businesses, and philanthropic organizations across the 
        United States and throughout the international community responded in 
        support of Haiti and its populace during this crisis, sometimes in 
        innovative ways such as fundraising through text messaging, which some 
        estimates reveal has raised more than $40,000,000;
Whereas according to the International Organization for Migration, as of 
        September 2016, approximately 55,000 people remain in spontaneous and 
        organized camps in Haiti and hundreds of thousands of Haiti's poor 
        continue to live in precarious housing conditions that make them 
        vulnerable to potential future natural disasters;
Whereas in 2016, Haiti continued to face long droughts and dry El Nino 
        conditions at the level of a national emergency, causing further 
        destruction of agricultural crops and food insecurity for over 5,000,000 
        people;
Whereas Hurricane Matthew caused significant and further damage to Haiti, 
        directly affecting 1,400,000 people, causing 175,000 to be displaced, 
        and pushing 806,000 into severe food insecurity, and due to increased 
        vulnerability from Hurricane Matthew the number of fatalities continues 
        to rise;
Whereas screening of vulnerable groups shows evidence of high rates of 
        malnutrition and the need for immediate special attention programs, 
        especially for children under the age of 5;
Whereas many displaced Haitians continue to live in temporary shelters, such as 
        schools, churches, or shelters that have been pieced together with scrap 
        aluminum sheets, tarps, and wood;
Whereas schools in many areas still have not reopened since the Hurricane 
        Matthew;
Whereas between 80 to 90 percent of crops in the Grande Anse and South were 
        destroyed by Hurricane Matthew and farmers have not yet received support 
        for seeds and tools;
Whereas only 48 percent of the United Nations $178,000,000 Flash Appeal for 
        Haiti has been funded;
Whereas a devastated agricultural sector has a ripple effect throughout the 
        Haitian economy and affects the most vulnerable, particularly children 
        and poor women and men;
Whereas Haiti's geographical location in the hurricane belt, acute ecological 
        damage, rising sea levels, increasing global temperatures, severity of 
        hurricanes, drought, and other forms of climate disruption combine to 
        make Haiti one of the three most climate vulnerable countries in the 
        world, with devastating consequences for all sectors of its economy and 
        society;
Whereas Haiti's growing food insecurity results largely from deforestation and 
        entrenched neglect of its rural agricultural sector, particularly 
        smallholder farmers who grow most of the food in Haiti, and account for 
        a large percentage of the food insecure populations;
Whereas in 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Global Food 
        Security Index ranked Haiti's food sector 108 out of 113 countries 
        surveyed;
Whereas Haiti's vulnerability to natural disasters is rooted in the dearth of 
        stable public infrastructure and housing due to rapid urbanization and 
        is exacerbated by climate change;
Whereas Haiti will be unable to adapt to, and mitigate its disproportional 
        vulnerability to climate change unless the Haitian government is 
        resourced and empowered to implement comprehensive disaster prevention 
        and relief measures;
Whereas according to an independent United Nations panel investigation, on 
        October 19, 2010, an outbreak of cholera was detected in the Lower 
        Artibonite region, originating from a tributary near the United Nations 
        Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) camp at Mirebelais, where the 
        panel found that sanitation conditions ``were not sufficient to prevent 
        fecal contamination of the Meye Tributary System of the Artibonite 
        River'';
Whereas according to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population 
        (MSPP), as of May 28, 2016, 9,317 people have died from cholera and 
        nearly 780,140 have been infected;
Whereas, according to the MSPP, the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in 
        October 2016 resulted in a sharp increase in the number of cholera cases 
        in Haiti;
Whereas in August 2016 the Government of Haiti, supported by the World Health 
        Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Association (PAHO), the 
        United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention (CDC) and other members of the Regional Coalition 
        to Eliminate Cholera in Hispaniola presented an updated medium-term plan 
        on cholera for 2016-2018 to improve coordination among national and 
        international partners, ensure rapid response to outbreaks, vaccinate 
        vulnerable populations and improve water, sanitation, and health;
Whereas, on December 1, 2016, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke 
        directly to the Haitian people while addressing the United Nations 
        General Assembly, stating ``we apologize to the Haitian people. We 
        simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its 
        spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role.'';
Whereas, on December 1, 2016, the United Nations presented a new two-track 
        response to cholera in Haiti, including material assistance to those 
        Haitians most directly affected by cholera as well as intensified 
        efforts to control treat and eradicate cholera;
Whereas the United Nations has launched a Multi-Partner Trust Fund to support 
        the new response and is seeking $400,000,000 in donor contributions, 
        with $200,000,000 to be allocated to Track 1 and $200,000,000 to Track 2 
        of the new response;
Whereas throughout these crises, the people of Haiti continue to demonstrate 
        unwavering resilience, dignity, and courage;
Whereas the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act (APHA) seeks to ``measure the 
        progress of recovery and development efforts in Haiti'' since the 
        devastating earthquake of January 2010 and was passed in response to 
        widespread concerns regarding the mixed results and opacity of post-
        quake relief and reconstruction efforts;
Whereas the Department of State has produced two of four annual reports with 
        detailed information on the status of United States aid programs in 
        Haiti with the aim of increasing transparency and accountability with 
        respect to the roughly $4,000,000,000 that the United States Government 
        has allocated for Haiti aid since the earthquake;
Whereas, as of September 30, 2016, the United States Agency for International 
        Development (USAID) estimates that of the roughly $4,000,000,000 
        allocated for humanitarian relief assistance and recovery and 
        reconstruction and development in the post-earthquake recovery, 
        approximately 83 percent of such funds has been disbursed;
Whereas an evaluation led by the MSPP in areas affected by Hurricane Matthew's 
        landfall on October 4, 2016, concluded that public health facilities may 
        viably provide essential services, but severely lack the equipment and 
        medical commodities to do so;
Whereas significant challenges still remain in Haiti as it works to recover and 
        rebuild from past natural disasters and to prepare for future ones; and
Whereas Haiti requires the sustained assistance of the United States and the 
        international community in order to prevent further malnutrition in key 
        vulnerable groups, prevent an increase in hunger in 2017, address 
        chronic food insecurity, confront the ongoing cholera epidemic and 
        mitigate vulnerability to climate change: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors those who lost their lives due to the tragic 
        earthquake that struck the country of Haiti on January 12, 
        2010;
            (2) honors those who lost their lives due to Hurricane 
        Matthew in October 2016;
            (3) honors the sacrifice of the men and women of the 
        Government of Haiti, the United States Government, the United 
        Nations, and the international community in their response to 
        those affected and who continue to be affected by these 
        calamities;
            (4) expresses continued solidarity with the people of Haiti 
        as they work to prevent malnutrition and hunger, mitigate the 
        effects of climate change, and rebuild their homes, 
        neighborhoods, livelihoods, and country;
            (5) reaffirms its commitment to support Haiti, in 
        partnership with the Government of Haiti and in coordination 
        with other donors, in long-term development and disaster 
        preparedness;
            (6) supports the efforts of the Administration to increase 
        food security in Haiti through sustainable agriculture 
        programs, shore up housing initiatives for Haiti's poor and 
        vulnerable, prevent the spread of cholera, treat persons who 
        contract the disease, provide technical assistance to the 
        Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), and 
        improve longer-term water, sanitation, and health systems;
            (7) urges the President and the international community 
        to--
                    (A) continue to focus assistance on building the 
                capacity of Haiti's public sector and reinforcing the 
                systems it employs to sustainably provide basic 
                services to its people;
                    (B) develop, improve, and scale-up communications 
                and participatory mechanisms to more substantially 
                involve Haitian civil society at all stages of post-
                disaster responses; and
                    (C) give priority to programs that protect and 
                involve vulnerable populations, including internally 
                displaced persons, children, especially malnourished 
                children under the age of 5, pregnant and lactating 
                women, women and girls, and persons with disabilities; 
                and
            (8) urges the President to--
                    (A) continue to make available to United States 
                Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, 
                private volunteer organizations, regional institutions, 
                and United Nations agencies the resources necessary to 
                confront the ongoing consequences of these natural 
                disasters;
                    (B) support the efforts of the United Nations 
                Secretary-General to secure the necessary resources 
                required to fully execute the United Nations new two-
                track response to eradicate cholera from Haiti and 
                provide material assistance to those Haitians most 
                directly affected by cholera;
                    (C) continue to lead humanitarian and development 
                and disaster risk reduction efforts with the Government 
                of Haiti, the Haitian Diaspora, and international 
                actors who share in the goal of a better future for 
                Haiti;
                    (D) maximize responsible local and regional 
                procurement;
                    (E) establish improved and transparent mechanisms 
                for monitoring the implementation of United States 
                Government-funded aid programs; and
                    (F) work with Haitian authorities and private 
                landowners to prevent the forced eviction of internally 
                displaced person communities and provide decent housing 
                for the poorest and most vulnerable Haitians.
                                 <all>