[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 3, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S1031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


SENATE RESOLUTION 431--EXPRESSING PROFOUND CONCERN, DEEPEST SYMPATHIES, 
  AND SOLIDARITY ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE 
    PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF CHILE FOLLOWING THE MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE

  Mr. LUGAR (for himself and Mr. Kerry) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 431

       Whereas the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck 
     Chile in the early hours of Saturday, February 27, 2010, has 
     claimed approximatley 800 lives, according to government 
     officials of Chile, and the death toll is expected to 
     continue to rise as assessments of the devastation continue;
       Whereas the earthquake hit most strongly in 6 central and 
     south regions, from the capital, Santiago, and the nearby 
     port of Valparaiso in central Chile, to the Bernardo 
     O'Higgins, Maule, Bio Bio, and Araucania regions of the 
     south;
       Whereas the regions most strongly hit are home to about 60 
     percent of the 17,000,000 inhabitants of Chile and account 
     for approximately 70 percent of the gross domestic product of 
     Chile;
       Whereas the earthquake generated some tsunami activity, in 
     addition to the earthquake, and several hundred people were 
     killed in the coastal towns of Constitucion and Talcahuano as 
     a result;
       Whereas many of the villages in the Juan Fernandez 
     archipelago were destroyed by tsunami activity;
       Whereas the earthquake left an estimated 2,000,000 people 
     homeless and damaged more than 1,000,000 homes, \1/3\ of 
     which may have to be demolished;
       Whereas the earthquake, classified as a ``megathrust'' 
     earthquake, unleashed an estimated 50 gigatons of energy and 
     broke about 340 miles of the fault zone, according to the 
     United States Geological Survey's National Earthquake 
     Information Center;
       Whereas aftershocks have continued, seriously complicating 
     efforts to survey the damage and rescue survivors despite the 
     noble efforts of local teams;
       Whereas the Department of Defense has estimated that 
     reconstruction costs could exceed $30,000,000,000, equivalent 
     to 20 percent of the 2009 gross domestic product of Chile;
       Whereas damage to ports and other infrastructure will 
     hinder important exports and economic recovery;
       Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Chile on 
     March 2, 2010, and promised an extensive aid package, and the 
     United States Ambassador to Chile requested emergency relief 
     funding;
       Whereas Chile enjoys excellent relations with the United 
     States since its transition back to democracy, and both 
     countries have emphasized similar priorities in the region, 
     designed to strengthen democracy, improve human rights, and 
     advance free trade;
       Whereas Chile and the United States also maintain strong 
     commercial ties, which have become more extensive since a 
     bilateral free trade agreement between the two countries 
     entered into force in 2004;
       Whereas since 2004, the Government of Chile has worked with 
     the Government of the United States and the international 
     community as part of the multinational peacekeeping force in 
     Haiti, first as a part of the Multinational Interim Force-
     Haiti (MIFH) and subsequently as a part of the United Nations 
     Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), committing more 
     human material resources to MINUSTAH than it has to any 
     previous peacekeeping mission; and
       Whereas the Government of Chile and the Government of the 
     United States and other regional partners have worked 
     together in recent years to resolve a number of political 
     issues in the Western Hemisphere, including crises in 
     Venezuela, Bolivia, and Honduras, among others: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses its profound concern, deepest sympathies, and 
     solidarity on behalf of the people of the United States to 
     the people and Government of Chile following the massive 
     earthquake;
       (2) applauds the friendship between the Governments and 
     people of the United States and Chile and recommits to 
     mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral, multilateral, 
     and Hemispheric contexts;
       (3) strongly encourages the United States Government, with 
     full consideration of the necessary institutional 
     instruments, to offer all appropriate assistance, if 
     requested by the Government of Chile, to aid in the immediate 
     rescue and ongoing recovery efforts undertaken by the 
     Government of Chile; and
       (4) encourages the international community to join in 
     relief efforts as determined by the Government of Chile.

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