[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 116 (Thursday, September 23, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S9607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S9607]]
                          DISASTER ASSISTANCE

  Mr. DODD. Madam President, as all Americans, especially those in 
Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana well know, this hurricane 
season is proving terribly destructive and it is not over yet. Many of 
my colleagues have risen before this body to describe the damage caused 
by Hurricanes Charley, Francis, and Ivan. I want to commend them for 
their efforts and commend this body for the speed with which it passed 
$2 billion worth of aid to help Florida recover from the devastation. I 
understand additional aid packages are also under consideration, and I 
urge my colleagues to move as swiftly as possible to provide all 
necessary aid to help those who were affected by these storms.
  At the same time, I want to call attention to another region which 
was also hard-hit by these storms. To date, Hurricanes Charley, 
Francis, and Ivan, as well as Tropical Storm Jeanne have claimed the 
lives of well over 1,000 people and caused extensive damage throughout 
the Caribbean, especially in Haiti, Grenada, and Jamaica.
  Just this past week, Tropical Storm Jeanne made landfall on the 
Island of Hispaniola. Rain, mud slides and flooding have made it the 
season's deadliest storm, claiming at least 1,070 lives in the 
impoverished nation of Haiti, 19 in the Dominican Republic and 7 in 
Puerto Rico. As of September 21, 50 percent of the city of Gonaives, in 
northern Haiti, remained under water, and the loss of lives and 
infrastructure to the people of Gonaives are enormous and likely to 
increase.
  Tropical Storm Jeanne is only the latest in what has been a deadly 
hurricane season. Two weeks ago, Hurricane Ivan cut a swath of 
destruction across much of the Caribbean. Keith Mitchell, the Prime 
Minister of Grenada, called the damages to his island, ``beyond 
imagination,'' and with good reason. Over 90 percent of the buildings 
in Grenada were damaged by the storm. Two thirds of the population, 
approximately 60,000 out of a total of 95,000 residents, are now 
homeless. Power is out across the island, and the Grenadan people are 
in desperate need of food, water, and shelter. The Hurricane even 
destroyed a 17th century stone prison, allowing a number of inmates to 
escape.
  I am pleased that the United States has already provided nearly $1 
million in direct assistance to Grenada, $700,000 to Jamaica, $300,000 
to the Bahamas, and $60,000 to Haiti. The Office of Foreign Disaster 
Assistance, moreover, currently has teams on the ground throughout the 
Caribbean, assessing what steps the United States should take to bring 
additional aid to this devastated region.
  But the Caribbean remains in desperate need. United Nations Disaster 
Assessment and Coordination teams have estimated that more than 50,000 
people require urgent water and sanitation services in Jamaica. In the 
Gonaives region of Haiti, at least 20,000 are homeless, and 80 percent 
of the population was severely affected by the storm. Indeed, our 
immediate goal has to be providing basic necessities: food, water, 
shelter.
  But while we must focus on these requirements, we cannot forget that 
rebuilding lost infrastructure in these countries will require a much 
more significant and sustained commitment of aid. It is always 
difficult to estimate total damages so soon after such a devastating 
storm, but one thing is certain--the cost of recovery will be immense. 
The World Bank estimates the rebuilding costs in Grenada alone are 
likely to rise to several billion dollars. The United States and the 
international community must rise to this challenge.
  Many countries and organizations have already made some important 
contributions. CARICOM nations, in particular, have stepped forward to 
provide assistance. Trinidad and Tobago has pledged $1.7 million to 
Grenada and Jamaica, and around 200 troops from CARICOM countries have 
helped restore order in St. George's, the capital of Grenada, where 
looting was rampant in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
  These storms, however, did more than just knock out power and 
telephone lines. They damaged schools and hospitals. They destroyed 
agriculture and industry critical to the long-term economic future of 
the region. In Grenada, the nutmeg crop, which is critical to the 
Grenadan economy, suffered extensive damages, and these crops will take 
years to recover, since Nutmeg trees take as many as 20 years to grow 
to their full potential. The year's banana crop was almost entirely 
lost, and the tourist industry was also badly damaged. National Public 
Radio quoted an advisor to Prime Minister Mitchell as saying, ``Grenada 
has no economy. The economy is dead.''
  Flooding, meanwhile, has destroyed homes and crops throughout Haiti, 
particularly in the northern region of Gonaives. Most of the 
agricultural land outside that city has been flooded, and at least 
20,000 are without homes. The poorest nation in the Americas, Haiti has 
already suffered from political turmoil as well as flooding, which four 
months ago claimed the lives of at least 1,700 people. As I mentioned 
earlier, this time, more than 1,070 have lost their lives.
  Mr. President, Louis Telesford, a 27 year old Grenadan, had his 
wooden home destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. According to the Associated 
Press, he is now living along with 15 other people in his neighbor's 
concrete house. ``It's going to be a long, long time before we 
recover,'' said Mr. Telesford. ``We need help.'' I urge the 
administration to ensure that we provide this critical assistance.

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