[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 7 (Thursday, January 21, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S132-S133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE
CAUSED BY THE JANUARY 12, 2010, EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 392 submitted earlier
today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 392) expressing the sense of the
Senate on the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the January
12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening actions or
debate, and that any statements related to the resolution be printed in
the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 392) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
[[Page S133]]
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 392
Whereas, on January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0
on the Richter scale and its aftershocks devastated Port-au-
Prince, Haiti and the surrounding areas, killing potentially
100,000 people, injuring hundreds of thousands more people,
and leaving many hundreds of thousands of people homeless;
Whereas Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western
Hemisphere, has an estimated 54 percent of its population
living on less than $1 per day, 120,000 people living with
HIV, 29,333 new cases of Tuberculosis reported in 2007, and
nearly 400,000 children living in orphanages;
Whereas, despite the heroic efforts of the Haitian people
and the support of the international community, Haiti remains
seriously weakened by prior natural disasters, including an
unprecedented string of devastating tropical storms in 2008
that left almost 500 Haitians dead and affected hundreds of
thousands more people during an acute food crisis;
Whereas these disasters have grievously undermined Haiti's
struggle to rebuild its infrastructure and to restore
critical services related to health, education, poverty, and
hunger to create effective governmental and nongovernmental
institutions;
Whereas Haiti has struggled for many years to overcome
systemic threats to public health and shortages of food,
potable water, and cooking fuel, significant environmental
degradation, and political and economic fragility;
Whereas, on January 13, 2010, President Obama stated, ``I
have directed my administration to respond with a swift,
coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. The people
of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in
the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble,
and to deliver the humanitarian relief--the food, water, and
medicine--that Haitians will need in the coming days.'';
Whereas on January 13, 2010, Rajiv Shah, the Director of
the United States Agency for International Development stated
that the United States Government is ``working aggressively
and in a highly coordinated way across the Federal Government
to bring all of the assets and capacities we have to bear to
quickly and effectively provide as much assistance as
possible.'';
Whereas, on January 14, 2010, President Obama pledged
$100,000,000 in immediate assistance to the people of Haiti,
and dispatched the 82nd Airborne Division, a Marine
Expeditionary Unit, the USS Carl Vinson, the USS Bataan, the
United States Navy hospital ship, the USS Comfort, and
several Disaster Assistant Response Teams, to aid in relief
efforts;
Whereas the international community, which has generously
provided security, development, and humanitarian assistance
to Haiti, has suffered a substantial blow during the
earthquake with the collapse of the headquarters of the
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti with
approximately 150 staff members inside, including the head of
the mission, Hedi Annabi, representing the largest single
loss of life in United Nations history; and
Whereas, despite the aforementioned losses, the United
Nations continues to coordinate efforts on the ground in
Haiti, and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
has pledged that ``the community of nations will unite in its
resolve and help Haiti to overcome this latest trauma and
begin the work of social and economic reconstruction that
will carry this proud nation forward.''.
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses profound sympathy to, and unwavering support
for, the people of Haiti, who have suffered over many years
and face catastrophic conditions in the aftermath of the
January 12, 2010 earthquake, and sympathy to the members of
the international community in Haiti, including the staff of
the United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince;
(2) applauds the rapid and concerted mobilization by
President Obama to provide immediate emergency humanitarian
assistance to Haiti, and the leadership of Secretary of State
Clinton, USAID Administrator Shah, and General Fraser of the
United States Southern Command in marshaling United States
Government resources and personnel to address both the short-
and long-term crises in Haiti;
(3) urges that all appropriate efforts be made to secure
the safety of Haitian orphans;
(4) urges that all appropriate efforts be made to sustain
assistance to Haiti beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis
to help the Haitian people with appropriate humanitarian,
developmental, and infrastructure assistance needed to
overcome the effects of past disasters and the earthquake,
and to secure a more stable and sustainable future;
(5) expresses appreciation for the international
community's ongoing and renewed commitment to Haiti's
security and recovery;
(6) acknowledges the profound sympathy of the people of the
United States for the families and colleagues of United
Nations officials who lost their lives and the continued
support for the peacekeepers who are working around the clock
to provide critical humanitarian support for all those
affected by the earthquake;
(7) urges all nations to commit to assisting the people of
Haiti with their long-term needs; and
(8) expresses support for the United States Embassy team in
Port-au-Prince, members of the United States Coast Guard,
United States Armed Forces, and other United States
Government agencies who are valiantly rescuing thousands of
United States citizens and Haitians under extremely adverse
conditions.
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