[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 562 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 562

   Expressing condolences and long-term support to the people of The 
     Bahamas in the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Dorian.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2019

  Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Pressley, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
 Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. McCaul, 
  Mr. Rooney of Florida, Mrs. Torres of California, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. 
 Diaz-Balart, Mr. Engel, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, Mr. Sires, Ms. Wasserman 
Schultz, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Waters, Mr. Cox of California, Ms. 
   Norton, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Ms. 
   Fudge, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Sewell of 
 Alabama, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Lewis, Ms. 
   Shalala, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Carson of 
    Indiana, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Soto, Ms. Plaskett, and Mr. Johnson of 
Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing condolences and long-term support to the people of The 
     Bahamas in the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Dorian.

Whereas, on September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian, then a Category 5 storm, struck 
        The Bahamas;
Whereas Hurricane Dorian was reported as reaching sustained speeds of up to 180 
        miles per hour with wind gusts of up to 200 miles per hour;
Whereas, as of September 10, 2019, at least 50 people on the islands have been 
        killed and thousands of people reported missing;
Whereas thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and find 
        themselves without shelter;
Whereas Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis stated that Hurricane Dorian 
        inflicted ``generational devastation'';
Whereas the International Federation of the Red Cross estimates that 45 percent 
        of homes on Grand Bahama and the Abacos islands have been destroyed;
Whereas the only international airport on Grand Bahama Island was destroyed and 
        currently cannot serve as a staging ground for medical evacuations or 
        emergency aid deliveries;
Whereas, as of September 6, 2019, the United States Coast Guard announced that 
        it had rescued 205 people on The Bahamas' northern islands;
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development employed a 
        Disaster Assistance Response Team to work with local authorities and 
        international organizations such as the Red Cross to assess damage, 
        identify needs, and provide assistance; and
Whereas immediate assistance is needed to rebuild damaged infrastructure to 
        restore international access to Grand Bahama Island: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) conveys its deepest condolences and sympathy for the 
        loss of life, displacement, injury, and damage Hurricane Dorian 
        caused in The Bahamas;
            (2) expresses solidarity with Bahamians, Bahamian 
        Americans, and all those who have been affected by the tragedy;
            (3) supports preliminary efforts of the United States 
        Government to provide relief to affected communities and urges 
        continued support for and coordination of international 
        humanitarian assistance;
            (4) calls for robust United States support for recovery and 
        long-term reconstruction and resilience needs in The Bahamas;
            (5) recognizes that The Bahamas' long-term recovery will 
        require a strong commitment by the United States and the 
        international community; and
            (6) urges the President to make available to Federal 
        departments and agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and 
        regional institutions the resources necessary to provide 
        relief, recovery, and reconstruction assistance.
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