[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 123 (Monday, October 4, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7997-H8000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO COUNTRIES OF
CARIBBEAN DEVASTATED BY HURRICANES CHARLEY, FRANCES, IVAN, AND JEANNE
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 496) expressing the sense of
Congress with regard to providing humanitarian assistance to countries
of the Caribbean devastated by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and
Jeanne, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 496
Whereas in May 2004, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Association (NOAA) predicted that 2004 would be an above-
normal Atlantic hurricane season;
Whereas from August to September 2004 Hurricanes Charley,
Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne devastated countries of the
Caribbean and the southern, midwestern, and eastern regions
of the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States, who have
encountered the harsh consequences of the recent hurricanes,
can empathize with the countries of the Caribbean as they
begin the recovery process;
Whereas Hurricane Frances displaced 800 people and
destroyed 80 homes in the Bahamas;
Whereas Hurricane Frances caused an estimated $125,000,000
in damage to the islands of the Bahamas;
Whereas four hurricanes have struck the region within five
weeks;
Whereas 90 percent of homes in Grenada sustained
significant damage as a result of Hurricane Ivan;
Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross
estimates that 60,000 of the 95,000 inhabitants of Grenada
were made homeless as a result of the devastation;
Whereas Hurricane Ivan is the worst natural disaster to hit
Jamaica in 50 years;
Whereas an estimated 13,000 Jamaicans were displaced during
Hurricane Ivan;
[[Page H7998]]
Whereas more than 60 people died and hundreds were injured
as a result of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan;
Whereas as a result of Hurricane Jeanne, at least 2,000
people have died in Haiti while it is estimated that another
1,000 people are currently missing;
Whereas many others have died in the Dominican Republic and
Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Jeanne;
Whereas the United States Agency for International
Development reports that there is flooding in more than 80
percent of Gonaives, Haiti, and more than 30 percent of Port-
de-Paix, Haiti;
Whereas hurricane recovery assistance is being sought from
the Caribbean-American community, the European Union, and
Canada;
Whereas the financial burden of providing emergency and
reconstruction assistance to the devastated countries is much
greater than the Caribbean region can sustain by itself;
Whereas the cost of providing humanitarian emergency
assistance to the countries of the Caribbean continues to
increase with each natural disaster;
Whereas the cost of assisting Grenada, Jamaica, the
Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other island
nations with reconstruction after the hurricane season of
2004 could exceed $250,000,000;
Whereas in addition to disaster relief, governments of the
countries of the Caribbean are under pressure to secure their
communities and prevent looters and other criminals from
causing further harm to their citizens who are struggling to
recover from the devastation caused by the hurricanes;
Whereas the United States Agency for International
Development's Office of United States Foreign Disaster
Assistance (OFDA) is coordinating with the Caribbean Disaster
Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) and members of the Eastern
Caribbean Donor Group (ECDG), including the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO), International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP), and the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) to provide urgently needed food,
potable water, temporary shelter, and other basic
necessities;
Whereas multilateral development banks, such as the World
Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, and other
international organizations, such as the United Nations and
the Organization of American States, have joined the United
States in providing urgently needed assistance to the
countries of the Caribbean that have suffered the most from
the effects of the hurricanes;
Whereas the damage caused by the hurricanes have
demonstrated that proper building and housing codes that are
consistently enforced significantly reduce the human and
financial toll caused by natural disasters;
Whereas the Caribbean region is recognized as the third
border of the United States and the economic turmoil caused
by the hurricanes of August and September 2004 will have an
effect on the United States; and
Whereas the countries of the Caribbean will need
significant assistance from the international community for
both relief and reconstruction efforts: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) commends the governments of the countries of the
Caribbean for their efforts to respond and assist the people
of the region after the devastation caused by Hurricanes
Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne from August to September
2004;
(2) commends the efforts of the Caribbean-American
community to provide relief to family and friends suffering
in the region;
(3) supports the efforts of the United States Government to
assist in coordinating international efforts to help the
people of the region, particularly in Grenada, Jamaica,
Haiti, and the Bahamas, with assessing damage and providing
relief to affected communities;
(4) urges the international community to take all necessary
steps to provide emergency relief and support reconstruction
efforts; and
(5) urges the President, acting through the Administrator
of the United States Agency for International Development
to--
(A) continue to make available to private volunteer
organizations, United Nations agencies, and regional
institutions the necessary funding to mitigate the effects of
the recent natural disasters that have devastated the
countries of the Caribbean; and
(B) provide assistance for the promulgation and enforcement
of housing and building codes in the countries of the
Caribbean.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Lee) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
General Leave
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 496,
the concurrent resolution now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume, and I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution
496, expressing the sense of Congress with regard to providing
humanitarian assistance to the countries of the Caribbean devastated by
Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.
As a Member whose home State of Florida has experienced firsthand the
fury of these hurricanes, my heart goes out to our neighbors in the
Caribbean as they begin to rebuild their lives amidst the debris. Thus,
at a time when hundreds of thousands of people across the Caribbean are
coping with the destruction left by these four recent hurricanes, this
resolution could not be more timely.
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Lee) for introducing this measure, and I would like to thank our
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere chairman, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger), as well as the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Hyde), the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and our
leadership for their efforts in helping to bring this resolution to the
floor this evening.
Mr. Speaker, in August and September of this year, Hurricanes
Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne swept over the Caribbean, battering
the islands of Grenada, the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Caymans, Haiti, the
Dominican Republic, Cuba, and other smaller islands. In their wake,
they left nearly 2,000 dead, many thousands more injured and hundreds
of thousands homeless. The cost in lost homes and property has yet to
be tallied, but in many of these places the destruction has been near
total.
While the humanitarian response has been immediate, a long-term
recovery plan is needed to prevent further suffering. I would like to
commend the administration for immediately dispatching to the Caribbean
emergency relief teams from USAID and the Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance. Through their efforts, humanitarian relief supplies have
been reaching the affected areas and the many who are now suffering. As
we speak, the Bush administration is preparing a recovery package which
will likely be included in an emergency supplemental appropriations
bill that is expected on the floor at a future date.
But this is only the beginning. As with the recovery and the
reconstruction of our own communities in those States ravaged or
affected by these hurricanes, the full magnitude of the situation and
the total need will not become clear for weeks to come. However, our
friends and neighbors in the Caribbean need our help now. It is,
therefore, my hope that this resolution will pass the House, as I
believe it serves as an official call to action to help relieve the
suffering caused by these recent hurricanes. Therefore, I urge my
colleagues to vote in favor of this important resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to begin by thanking the gentlewoman from Florida, also our
ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), along with my colleagues on this
side of the aisle and on the other side of the aisle, including the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger), for their support and
for their commitment to make sure that this important resolution moves
off of this floor tonight.
I also want to thank our staff, Paul Oostburg, Ted Brennan, Caleb
McCarry, also Khalil Munir and Jamila Thompson of my staff, who all
worked very, very hard, very diligently, and very quickly to craft this
bill before us today.
Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan resolution; and it is a very minor,
very small resolution in terms of the enormity of the disaster that it
is addressing, but it is a resolution that expresses the need for
humanitarian assistance to hurricane-ravaged Caribbean countries. H.
Con. Res. 496 acknowledges the hardship endured by all Caribbean
islands, it recognizes the
[[Page H7999]]
international response to the tragedy, and it outlines the need for
relief and reconstruction efforts throughout the affected areas.
Americans, all of us, especially Floridians and Californians, know
firsthand the suffering experienced by natural disasters: hurricanes,
fires, tornadoes and earthquakes. For weeks, we have watched the
devastation throughout the region in Grenada, the Bahamas, Jamaica,
Haiti, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, and Barbados, just to mention a few of
the affected countries.
{time} 2015
Four hurricanes struck within 5 weeks. Over 440,000 individuals were
displaced. This is hard to even imagine.
Mr. Speaker, we need to step up and lend a helping hand. We cannot
sit back and wait as people suffer in Florida and in the Caribbean. I
understand that the administration has proposed $50 million in
emergency spending for relief to the region, and I must say that that
is a good, small, very small, step for a start. But we know that much
more will be needed to help the entire region.
In Grenada, the hardest hit island by Hurricane Ivan, the land is
barren. Countless homes are destroyed, and schools will not open until
2005. What is going to happen to the young people of Grenada who need
and want to go to school? The Grenadian Ambassador, the Honorable
Dennis Antoine, shared with me the devastation to his country. Ivan the
Terrible caused, he said, ``The total destruction of the police
headquarters, the official residence of both the governor general and
the prime minister, parliament house, schools, churches, roads,
bridges, one of two hospitals, the airport tower and the national
stadium. More than 70 percent of the population is virtually homeless,
and there is in excess of 60,000 persons needing relief.''
Stories were similar in the Bahamas where all 29 of the inhabited
islands felt the impact of Hurricane Frances. A few weeks later,
Hurricane Jeanne assaulted Grand Bahama and Abaco where the flood
waters were just receding. In Jamaica, the largest English-speaking
Caribbean country, 18,000 people were displaced by Hurricane Ivan. Many
other Caribbean countries affected by the storms have remained so
focused on assisting their neighbors that they have not even had the
chance to fully assess their own damage. However, the preliminary
estimates for damages in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a country that
sustained lesser harm, is more than their government's annual budget.
For the Bahamas and Grenada, the damage cost total is more than $1
billion, but we must remember that more than 15 islands throughout the
region were affected. Throughout the Caribbean, primary crops, such as
bananas, nutmeg, cocoa and sugar are just totally destroyed. Clearly,
Caribbean economies are simply overwhelmed. There is a Haitian saying
that an empty sack cannot stand up. More than 2,000 Haitians lost their
lives. Hundreds remain missing. My heart breaks for those suffering and
struggling. The Haitian people are resilient people, but we must help.
Tropical Storm Jeanne was not even a category 1 hurricane when it
demolished the Haitian towns of Gonaives and Port de Paix. It
exemplifies how even the smallest natural disasters wreak havoc on the
poorest people. In Haiti's flood-torn cities, children sleep on tin
roofs because flood waters have still not subsided. Gunshots are heard
in darkness as thieves and thugs continue to steal from the people and
cheat them of their chance for protection and peace. Men and women dig
mass graves, scrambling to identify the bodies of lost loved ones. And
the government cannot even provide security to distribute emergency
supplies.
We need to join the efforts of the international community and show
support for all the affected countries. The Caribbean-American
community and neighboring Caribbean nations responded to the calls of
assisting the hardest hit countries immediately. Across our borders,
churches, nonprofit organizations, businesses and activists have rushed
to support the entire region. Although the United States Agency for
International Development assisted in some relief efforts, the United
States Government can, we must, do more. We must work with other donors
and Caribbean countries to plan and support the relief and
reconstruction effort.
Our third border is in great need and the United States needs to show
our support for the entire region. Again, I want to thank my colleagues
for supporting this effort. Again, this is a very good first start. I
look forward to working with our appropriators, including our colleague
from Detroit, Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick), who has been a tremendous
advocate for the region, in order to obtain adequate emergency funding
for the more than 15 Caribbean countries devastated by these
hurricanes. Time is of the essence, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from the Virgin
Islands (Mrs. Christensen) who is a leader not only in the Virgin
Islands but for the entire Caribbean region who knows firsthand and has
experienced firsthand the devastation of natural disasters.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I am a cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 496, and
I rise in strong support of the resolution which calls on Congress to
support badly and immediately needed humanitarian assistance to the
Caribbean countries which were devastated by the recent hurricanes, as
we provide aid to the people of Florida; and our hearts go out to them
as well.
Mr. Speaker, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Gaston, Ivan and Tropical
Storm Jeanne have caused widespread damage in large numbers of our
neighboring Caribbean countries. We have seen the tragedy in Haiti
where Hurricane Jeanne resulted in more than 2,000 deaths, many more
still missing and over a quarter of a million people homeless. In
Grenada, Hurricane Ivan destroyed 78 percent of the island's electrical
system and homes as well as hospitals, schools and their spice
industry. And Hurricane Frances has caused an estimated $125 million in
damage to the islands of the Bahamas. More than 440,000 individuals
have been displaced throughout the region.
These storms left a path of destruction across a region that is our
third border and which was already stressed and whose economies were
already heavily burdened in part by our own homeland security needs.
They do not have the capacity to respond. These countries, which
include six of the top ten most indebted countries in the world, are in
desperate need of our assistance for everything, emergency health
services, water, shelter, food and infrastructure.
To put the situation into perspective, the U.N.'s Office For the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in an October 1 report pointed out
that Grenada, one of the smallest countries in the western hemisphere,
bases its economy on tourism and agriculture and imports most of the
food that it consumes. The majority of the island's 102,000 inhabitants
make their living out of these two vital sectors which were severely
hit by Hurricane Ivan. The negative impact of the disaster has been
enormous at all levels and in all sectors, disrupting the livelihood of
every single Grenadian and causing serious damage to the backbone of
the country's economy.
Mr. Speaker, President Bush and the administration have announced
they will provide $50 million to assist the region, specifically Haiti,
Jamaica and Grenada, with small amounts for the Bahamas, Trinidad and
Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. That is not enough. Much
more will be needed to help the entire region. Because so many of the
economies of the countries in the region have been severely damaged
because vital income-producing crops were destroyed, and replanting and
new seeding processes will not yield salable produce for several years,
the members of the Congressional Black Caucus have called for an
appropriation of $500 million for reinforcement and alternative
economic development.
Mr. Speaker, my district is part of the region. We know the
devastation of hurricanes, not only to the physical structures but to
the emotions and to the families, and the difficulty of recovery. Even
with the strong and resilient spirit of the people of the Caribbean,
things are very, very difficult today.
I join my colleagues in urging this body to support the adoption of
this
[[Page H8000]]
resolution as well as our request for additional funding for the
region.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin
Islands for that very powerful statement and for laying out what is at
stake and the reality of life during these very tragic times for those
in the Caribbean region.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Waters) whose commitment to the Caribbean is longstanding and
unwavering.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for
helping to organize us to be able to address this most important issue
this evening.
I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 496, a resolution that simply
supports humanitarian assistance to countries of the Caribbean
devastated by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. The recent
hurricanes have had devastating impacts on several Caribbean nations.
In Grenada, Hurricane Ivan destroyed 90 percent of the homes and 78
percent of the electrical system, as well as numerous government
buildings, hospitals, schools and churches. Approximately 60,000 of the
island's 95,000 inhabitants were left homeless. In Jamaica, 18,000
people were displaced by Hurricane Ivan, which was the worst natural
disaster to hit Jamaica in 50 years. The Bahamas incurred an estimated
$125 million in damage as a result of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. In
Haiti, Hurricane Jeanne caused extensive flooding and left 300,000
people homeless. More than 1,500 Haitians were killed, and another 900
are still missing. Thousands of people are in desperate need of food,
clean water, emergency shelter and medical care. Relief efforts
continue to be hampered by water and mud covering the main roads, and
stagnant waters have given rise to a large mosquito population that
could lead to a malaria epidemic.
The nations of the Caribbean are small island nations that do not
have the capacity to respond to the widespread death and destruction
caused by hurricanes of this magnitude. Immediate assistance from the
United States is critical to enable these countries to meet the
emergency needs of their people and begin to rebuild damaged homes and
infrastructure.
I am thankful that the President did show some concern, and he
proposed $50 million in supplemental appropriations to cover disaster
relief for the nations of the Caribbean that have been devastated by
hurricanes and tropical storms. But it is a very small amount, and it
cannot begin to meet the tremendous needs of thousands of Haitians, let
alone the needs of our other Caribbean neighbors. The affected
countries and territories include Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman
Islands, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Puerto
Rico, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, the Turks and
Caicos, even Venezuela, Cuba, the U.S. Virgin Islands, have all felt
the devastation of these hurricanes. So we need a lot more to respond
to this terrible devastation.
Even though the President has proposed $50 million in supplemental
appropriations, it is a small amount, and it cannot begin to meet the
tremendous needs of thousands of Haitians, let alone the needs of all
of these other countries. The Congressional Black Caucus is on record
now in asking the President for at least $500 million in disaster
relief to mount an effective response. Of course, I would urge my
colleagues to vote for H. Con. Res. 496. I would also urge my
colleagues to provide a supplemental appropriation of at least $500
million in disaster assistance to help our Caribbean neighbors rebuild
their homes and their lives after these unprecedented storms. This
resolution does not have that amount in it, and we know that we must do
the work with the Appropriations Committee, but this is a resolution
that would give recognition to this tremendous devastation that has
taken place and squarely place us on record in wanting to respond to
it.
I am very thankful for the opportunity to share with the gentlewoman
from California this concern as we demonstrate through this resolution.
Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I am a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 496. I
fully support helping to relieve the suffering of people in the
Caribbean. The news reports of the death and destruction in Haiti,
Greneda and elsewhere in the Caribbean is just terrible. We all want to
reach out and help our neighbors who are suffering.
USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance has been on the ground
distributing emergency aid since just after these storms hit. The $50
million aid package proposed by the Administration is, by all measures,
a good start.
But, it should not be considered an end to U.S. assistance. The
current proposal represents what the Administration believes can be
spent in the first year. By way of comparison, $52 million was expended
during the first year of implementing disaster reconstruction after
Hurricane Mitch hit in 1999. I expect to see more aid going to the
Caribbean in subsequent years.
Mr. Speaker, while I believe that $50 million is not sufficient to
meet the needs of the Caribbean in the long term, I do believe it is
enough to meet the immediate needs of those nations hardest hit. To
meet the long term needs of these countries, I would support an effort
to provide additional reconstruction funds. Although I am retiring, I
am willing to work with my colleagues to secure long term assistance
for the Caribbean nations before I go. I hope that my colleagues here
tonight will join me in this area.
I thank my colleague from California for bringing this important
resolution recognizing the terrible suffering inflicted on the
Caribbean by the same hurricanes that did so much damage to our own
country. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res.
496, a bi-partisan effort urging that Congress support humanitarian
assistance to Caribbean countries devastated by the recent hurricanes.
Four hurricanes--Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne--hit the region
within five weeks. The affected countries and territories include the
Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos, Venezuela, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the burden is felt by all. More than
440,000 individuals displaced throughout the region.
Tropical Storm Jeanne killed more than 2,000 people in Haiti, and
hundreds remain missing. Men and women dig mass graves, scrambling to
identify the bodies of lost loved ones. An estimated 300,000 people
remain homeless as a result of the floods.
With eight weeks left to the 2004 Atlantic Hurricane season, the
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) is urging the
Caribbean to remain vigilant. The call comes against the background of
an updated hurricane season forecast yesterday which calls for three
more storms and two hurricanes this month with a 33 percent chance of a
land falling storm and 17 percent chance of a land falling hurricane.
The Administration announced providing $50 million to assist the
region--specifically Haiti, Jamaica, and Grenada with small amounts for
the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
this is a good start, but much more will be needed to help the entire
region.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to reiterate my support for H. Con. Res. 496 and
urge the Administration to provide even more aid to assist the region.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the
House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con.
Res. 496, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as
amended, was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________