[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 12, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E53]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 12, 2011

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, this week marks the one year anniversary of 
the horrific earthquake that struck our neighbor Haiti last year, 
killing over 200,000 men, women, and children including U.S. citizens. 
I join my colleagues in commemorating this somber event and in 
reaffirming the commitment of our nation to continue to work with the 
Haitian people and government to not only rebuild Haiti, but make a 
better Haiti.
  There has been progress in the recovery from the devastating 
earthquake and I applaud the individuals within the State Department, 
USAID, the U.S. embassy in Haiti, and the many people from communities 
throughout our country, including my district in Wisconsin, who have 
volunteered, donated money, and gone to Haiti in the past year to try 
and make life a little better for those who have suffered so much. I 
also want to highlight and applaud the brave men and women in our 
military who were our nation's first responders during the deadly and 
dark first days of this catastrophe and in the months following the 
earthquake. For many Haitians, these men and women were the first face 
of hope in a hopeless situation.
  Nonetheless, we are all aware of the various challenges that Haiti 
continues to face and will face for the foreseeable future. We all see 
the tent cities. Over a million people are still waiting for both 
``temporary'' and permanent housing solutions. Dozens of issues, from 
resolving disputes over land ownership to rubble removal still need to 
be addressed. For far too many, permanent housing solutions are no 
closer today than they were on January 13, 2010.
  Other challenges remain. A cholera outbreak has killed over 3,500 
people and affects over 150,000 more. Millions of cubic meters of 
rubble still remain in Port Au Prince. Add to this mix the controversy 
and ``irregularities'' surrounding the recently held Presidential and 
Parliamentary elections and there are plenty of obstacles to rebuilding 
Haiti. These come on top of the challenges existing pre-earthquake.
  Additionally, I am distressed and disgusted by the recent reports 
about the continuing sexual violence and assault being committed in 
these camps against women and girls. When displacement occurs, whether 
because of conflict or natural disaster, women almost always suffer the 
most severe deprivations and consequences. According to UNICEF, a lack 
of security and the ``hard living conditions'' in the camps have been 
major factors increasing the risk of violence against women and girls.
  Our Haiti efforts must prioritize--less with words and with more 
deeds and actions--the rights of vulnerable Haitian women and girls. 
And first and foremost, must be their immediate protection against 
these despicable assaults which violate basic human rights. We must 
strengthen the UN peacekeeping mission and the Haitian police so they 
can make stopping these attacks a priority.
  According to Amnesty International, the risk of rape and other forms 
of gender-based violence in Haiti's camps has increased 
``dramatically'' in the past year and ``Women and girls, already 
struggling to come to terms with the grief and trauma of losing their 
loved ones, homes and livelihoods in the earthquake, are living in 
camps in tents that cannot be made secure, with the constant threat of 
sexual violence. Without access to medical care and with little 
prospect of receiving any support or seeing their attackers brought to 
justice, survivors see no end to their plight.''
  The U.S. and international community then must drastically increase 
their attention and focus on preventing this violence against women and 
girls immediately. It is also critical for the U.S. to push the Haitian 
government and other international donors to include women and girls in 
the rebuilding and recovery decisionmaking process and plans.
  Their have also been reports of significant delays in moving the aid 
that Congress approved for Haiti relief, recovery, and rebuilding out 
of the federal agencies and into the hands of partners on the ground in 
Haiti. What we need to see in 2011 is not a trickle of assistance but a 
downpour and I hope that these unnecessary delays have been resolved 
and the Administration will move to ensure that this relief gets to the 
Haitian people.
  We also need to continue to make efforts to strengthen the ability of 
the Haitian government to take the lead in responding to the long-term 
rebuilding and recovery needs of the Haitian people. U.S. aid to Haiti, 
to the maximum extent possible, must be directed through or with the 
input of the duly-elected Haitian government. While the well-documented 
problems with recent elections make this goal even more difficult in 
the short term, I think we all understand that the future for Haiti 
depends on it having an effective, accountable, and transparent 
government that responds to the needs of its people.
  Ramping up housing efforts is also critical at this moment. More than 
1 million people--approximately 380,000 of whom are children--still 
live in crowded camps. USAID has reported that it has spent over $100 
million for emergency and transition shelters, including temporary 
shelters designed to last up to three years. By the end of 2010, its 
temporary solutions were able to house almost 60,000 Haitians. It is an 
understatement to say more needs to be done.
  Additionally, in the mix of all this, sometime this year, the 
President must also decide whether to continue Temporary Protected 
Status (TPS) for Haitians in the U.S. After the earthquake, at the 
urging of a number of Members of Congress including myself, President 
Obama extended TPS for Haitians in the U.S. preventing them from being 
deported to the devastated country citing among other reasons, that 
these individuals ``personal safety would be endangered by returning to 
Haiti.'' That original order will lapse in a few months. It is clear 
however that Haiti is still in the midst of the earthquake caused 
crisis that led to TPS being granted.
  Lastly, even with the best intentions and the most diligent of 
efforts, problems and challenges will continue to affect the rebuilding 
efforts in Haiti. A cholera epidemic, Hurricane Tomas, highly 
controversial recent elections, you name it, it appears it will happen 
to Haiti. Therefore patience is crucial. We must rededicate ourselves 
to a long-term commitment to our neighbors in Haiti.
  Mr. Speaker, we all have an important role to play in Haiti's 
recovery as it continues on this long road from tragedy to triumph. We 
know that many hard months remain ahead and much hard work needs to be 
done.
  I want to make clear to the Haitian people that the U.S. government 
commitment to helping them rebuild is no less clear or strong today 
than it was on that terrible January day one year ago. This is a key 
moment for Haiti and for testing our commitment that was so evident in 
the days following January 12, 2010. Normal will not come soon enough 
for the Haitian people. As we commemorate the tragic events that took 
place one year ago, let us redouble our commitment, support, and 
efforts to rebuild Haiti.

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