[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 21 (Thursday, February 11, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                       EARTHQUAKE RELIEF IN HAITI

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to express my continued 
concern over the humanitarian situation in Haiti after the catastrophic 
January 12, 2010, earthquake. While the destruction has proved to make 
the aid and relief situation on the ground complicated and difficult to 
navigate, President Obama's promise to the people of Haiti that ``you 
will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten'' has rung true to 
date.
  The global outpouring of support, in resources, money and people on 
the ground has been encouraging. American contributions and activities, 
in particular, have been exemplary. All Americans should be proud of 
how we have responded to help our neighbors who are truly facing the 
direst of situations. Countless U.S. Government agencies and the 
military quickly swung into action, managed by Operation Unified 
Response and Joint Task Force Haiti, and have moved with an impressive 
and coordinated effort.
  I would like to make a special mention of the efforts carried out by 
Marylanders.
  The USNS Comfort, which we are proud to have based in Baltimore 
Harbor, provides a mobile, flexible, and rapidly responsive afloat 
medical capability for acute medical and surgical care, with a 550-
person medical team and a capacity of 250 hospital beds and room to 
treat 1,000 people. The day after the earthquake, the Comfort was 
ordered to assist in the humanitarian relief efforts as a crucial part 
of Operation Unified Response. Upon its arrival in Haiti on January 20, 
the crew of the Comfort immediately began critical lifesaving medical 
treatment early that day, and on the following day, the first baby was 
safely born aboard.
  Four weeks after the earthquake, the Comfort remains on station and 
is operating at maximum capacity. Surgeries are being performed around 
the clock and the intensive care units and wards are filled. Navy Dr. 
(CAPT) Jim Ware, the medical group commander, noted upon arrival, ``We 
have never had that number on the ship, but we can do it,'' capturing 
the spirit of the all the U.S. troops on the ground in Haiti. Yet these 
committed men and women are certainly facing a daunting challenge--the 
Comfort has cared for more patients in the last 5 days than it did 
during all of the two wars in Iraq. In less than a week, it has changed 
from a dormant hospital floating in Baltimore into one of the busiest 
U.S. Department of Defense medical facilities in the world and we 
applaud them for their work.
  I have always been heartened by good work done by the many 
international aid organizations based in Maryland. IMA World Health, 
Lutheran World Relief, and the Associated Jewish Community Federation 
of Baltimore are just a few of many agencies that are providing 
critical supplies and volunteers on the ground.
  We are grateful for good news from these agencies, such as the safe 
return of IMA employees Sarla Chand, Ann Varghese and IMA President 
Rick Santos, who were trapped for 55 hours under the rubble of a 
destroyed hotel. In Haiti to work on treatment of tropical diseases 
that afflict much of the population, they wanted to stay and help with 
earthquake relief as soon as they were freed from the rubble. While 
they have now returned home to Maryland, their colleagues at IMA have 
followed suit, sending 80 boxes of relief supplies, each with 
medication and supplies to treat common illnesses of 1,000 people for 2 
months.
  The Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services was already providing 
vital lifesaving and development programming before the earthquake 
struck and was tapped by the Vatican to head up all of the Church's 
efforts in Haiti. The 313 permanent staff members on the ground are 
part of the lead agency providing aid in partnership with the 82nd 
Airborne Division. They have distributed food to more than 200,000 
people through relief distribution sites in Port-au-Prince, and are 
coordinating with local agencies to speed up the distribution. They 
have worked tirelessly to open three operating rooms at St. Francois de 
Sales Hospital in Port-Au-Prince, where volunteer medical teams are now 
performing up to 200 operations a week, with at least one Baltimore 
based doctor already working there--Dr. Guesly Delva, a native of 
Haiti.
  It is important to remember that donations made by ordinary citizens 
are what allow these wonderful organizations to continue doing their 
important work. I am proud that Marylanders have pitched in. Catholic 
Relief Services has raised more than $38 million in donations, 
including generous second collections from local parishes. Text 
donations by Maryland residents to the Red Cross and other worthy 
organizations carrying out aid and relief projects are in the top 10 
percent nationwide. These organizations will continue to need support 
over the coming months, so I am pleased to see the U.S. Congress, with 
my support, moved quickly to pass the Haiti Assistance Income Tax 
Incentive--HAITI--Act, which allows U.S. taxpayers to make charitable 
contributions to Haiti relief programs before March 1, 2010, and claim 
those contributions on their 2009 income tax return.
  The earthquake and the reconstruction effort further underscore the 
need for smart and effective U.S. development aid to countries mired in 
poverty, like Haiti. I am heartened to see that the newly confirmed 
USAID Administrator Raj Shah was in place to skillfully manage the 
government-wide aid process. But more must be done to strengthen and 
empower the U.S. Agency of International Development. This is precisely 
why I was an original cosponsor to the bipartisan Foreign Assistance 
Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009, S. 1524. Reforming our 
foreign assistance matters and can have a direct effect on how people 
withstand and move on after disasters.
  If the U.S. has the best trained and most equipped development agency 
in the world, the foreign aid we deliver and implement will foster 
sustainable development, enabling the governments of these countries to 
have the infrastructure and capacity to better manage the situation 
when tragedy strikes. I am glad this legislation has passed through 
committee and I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the 
Senate and the House to ensure effective development assistance is a 
key part of U.S. foreign policy.
  As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will 
continue to closely monitor the situation and help provide the needed 
assistance and resources to our Haitian neighbors.

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