[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 13, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H48]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 HAITI

  (Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, the devastating earthquake which hit Haiti 
last night is something that pains all of us.
  The millions of Haitian Americans in this country and people who care 
about Haiti all over the world need to see what we can do to get aid as 
quickly as possible to the beleaguered people of Haiti.
  The earthquake was 7.0 on the Richter scale, the largest earthquake 
ever to hit Haiti. And this comes on top of devastating hurricanes a 
little more than a year ago. The people of Haiti are going to need the 
United States to help.
  As chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I will leave no 
stone unturned to try to get aid to people of Haiti. And I know that 
President Obama and Secretary Clinton have already made statements and 
promised and pledged lots of and lots of aid.
  Probably thousands upon thousands of people are devastated and 
killed, and this is going to touch all of us. So I call on this House, 
I call on the American people, I call on our government to do whatever 
we can to send aid to help the beleaguered people of Haiti. Now is the 
time.
  I urge the American people to listen, to send donations to those 
organizations that can get aid in as quickly as possible. Money 
donations are probably what is needed right now. Only the United States 
is in a very, very unique position. And, again, we want to tell the 
Haitian people that the United States of America, the U.S. Congress is 
there with you. We will leave no stone unturned to try to save lives.
  The next 72 hours is crucial in terms of saving lives, in terms of 
preventing any kind of epidemics, in terms of keeping food going and 
the water clean and making sure that there is no disease, looting, 
things like that. We need to do everything we can. I know we will. And, 
again, we will leave no stone unturned.
  As chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I know that our 
committee will be right in there with our sleeves rolled up and do 
everything we can to help the people of Haiti.

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