[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S261-S263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGIC EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI ON 
                            JANUARY 12, 2010

  Mr. BEGICH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 26, which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 26) recognizing the anniversary of 
     the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, honoring 
     those who lost their lives in that earthquake, and expressing 
     continued solidarity with the Haitian people.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. BEGICH. Madam 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 action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in 
the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 26) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 26

       Whereas on January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on 
     the Richter scale struck the country of Haiti;
       Whereas, according to the United States Geological Survey, 
     the epicenter of the earthquake was located approximately 15 
     miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti;
       Whereas, according to the United States Geological Survey, 
     the earthquake was followed by 59 aftershocks of magnitude 
     4.5 on the Richter scale or greater, with the most severe 
     measuring a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale;
       Whereas, according to the Government of Haiti, more than 
     230,000 people died as a result of the earthquake, including 
     103 citizens of the United States;
       Whereas an untold number of international aid personnel 
     also died as a result of the earthquake, including more than 
     100 United Nations personnel;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations and the 
     International Organization for Migration--

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       (1) an estimated 3,000,000 people, or nearly \1/3\ of the 
     population of Haiti, have been directly affected by the 
     disaster; and
       (2) an estimated 1,300,000 people were displaced from their 
     homes to settlements;
       Whereas casualty numbers and infrastructure damage, 
     including damage to roads, ports, hospitals, and residential 
     dwellings, place the earthquake as the worst cataclysm to hit 
     Haiti in more than 200 years and, proportionally, as one of 
     the worst natural disasters in the world in modern times;
       Whereas the Post Disaster Needs Assessment, which was 
     conducted by the Government of Haiti, the United Nations, the 
     World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other 
     experts, estimates that damage and economic losses totaled 
     $7,800,000,000, which is equal to approximately 120 percent 
     of the gross domestic product of Haiti in 2009;
       Whereas the Post Disaster Needs Assessment estimates that 
     $11,500,000,000 is needed during the next 3 years for the 
     reconstruction of Haiti and to lay the groundwork for long-
     term development;
       Whereas Haiti was the poorest, least developed country in 
     the Western Hemisphere before the January 2010 earthquake, 
     when--
       (1) more than 70 percent of Haitians lived on less than $2 
     per day; and
       (2) Haiti was ranked of 149th out of 182 countries on the 
     United Nations Human Development Index;
       Whereas, before the earthquake, Haiti was in the process of 
     recovering from a catastrophic series of hurricanes and 
     tropical storms, food shortages, rising commodity prices, and 
     political instability, but was showing encouraging signs of 
     improvement;
       Whereas President Barack Obama vowed the ``unwavering 
     support'' of the United States and pledged a ``swift, 
     coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives and support 
     the recovery in Haiti'';
       Whereas Senate Resolution 392, which was agreed to on 
     January 21, 2010, by unanimous consent--
       (1) expressed the profound sympathy and unwavering support 
     of the Senate for the people of Haiti; and
       (2) urged all nations to commit to assisting the people of 
     Haiti with their long-term needs;
       Whereas the response to the tragedy from the global 
     community, and especially from the countries of the Western 
     Hemisphere, has been overwhelmingly positive;
       Whereas the initial emergency response of the men and women 
     of the United States Government, led by the United States 
     Agency for International Development and United States 
     Southern Command, was swift and resolute;
       Whereas individuals, businesses, and philanthropic 
     organizations throughout the United States and the 
     international community responded to the crisis by supporting 
     Haiti and its people through innovative ways, such as 
     fundraising through text messaging;
       Whereas more than $2,700,000,000 is estimated to have been 
     raised from private donations in response to the tragedy in 
     Haiti;
       Whereas the Haitian diaspora community in the United 
     States, which was integral to emergency relief efforts--
       (1) has annually contributed significant monetary support 
     to Haiti through remittances; and
       (2) continues to seek opportunities to partner with the 
     United States Agency for International Development and other 
     Federal agencies to rebuild Haiti;
       Whereas Haiti continues to suffer from extreme poverty, 
     gross inequality, a deficit of political leadership at all 
     levels, and weak or corrupt state institutions;
       Whereas significant long-term challenges remain as Haiti 
     works to recover and rebuild;
       Whereas the International Organization for Migration 
     estimates that approximately 800,000 people remain in 
     spontaneous and organized camps in Haiti;
       Whereas, according to numerous nongovernmental 
     organizations and United States contractors, the pace of 
     reconstruction in Haiti has lagged significantly behind the 
     original emergency relief phase;
       Whereas there is an acute need--
       (1) to increase local capacity in health care and 
     education; and
       (2) to focus international attention on employment 
     opportunities, rubble removal, permanent and sustainable 
     shelter, reconstruction of roads, safety and security, and 
     fundamental human rights in Haiti, especially in temporary 
     camps and shelters;
       Whereas the alleged irregularities and fraud that occurred 
     in the election held in Haiti on November 28, 2010, have 
     imperiled the credibility of the electoral process, 
     undermined the recovery effort, and further destabilized 
     security throughout Haiti;
       Whereas political leadership is required to ensure that a 
     democratically elected government, which is respected by the 
     people of Haiti and recognized by the international 
     community, is prepared to assume office on February 7, 2011, 
     or shortly thereafter;
       Whereas, on October 19, 2010, an outbreak of cholera was 
     detected in the lower Artibonite region of Haiti;
       Whereas initial efforts to contain the epidemic were 
     disrupted by Hurricane Tomas and resulting widespread 
     flooding, which led to the spreading and entrenchment of the 
     disease throughout Haiti;
       Whereas, according to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health 
     and Population, between the outbreak in October 2010 and 
     January 21, 2011--
       (1) more than 3,850 people have died from cholera in Haiti; 
     and
       (2) more than 194,000 people in Haiti have been affected by 
     the disease;
       Whereas, according to the Pan American Health Organization 
     and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cholera 
     could spread to as many as 400,000 people within the first 
     year of the epidemic, potentially causing 8,000 deaths at the 
     current case fatality rate;
       Whereas the United States has provided $40,000,000 worth of 
     assistance to combat the cholera epidemic, primarily through 
     the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, to assist with 
     stockpiling health commodities, equipping cholera treatments 
     centers, providing public information, and developing a safe 
     and sustainable water and sanitation system;
       Whereas the efforts to combat the cholera epidemic have 
     helped to drive the mortality rate from cholera down from 7 
     percent to 1 percent of all contracted cases during the 3-
     month period ending on January 21, 2011;
       Whereas, during the first year following the January 12, 
     2010 earthquake in Haiti, the people of Haiti have 
     demonstrated unwavering resilience, dignity, and courage;
       Whereas at the conference of international donors entitled 
     ``Towards a New Future for Haiti'', which was held on March 
     31, 2010, 59 donors pledged approximately $5,570,000,000 
     (including nearly $1,200,000,000 pledged by donors from the 
     United States) to support the Action Plan for National 
     Recovery and Development of the Government of Haiti;
       Whereas the United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for 
     Haiti estimates that approximately 63 percent of the recovery 
     and development funds pledged for 2010 have been disbursed; 
     and
       Whereas Haiti requires sustained assistance from the United 
     States and the international community in order to confront 
     the ongoing cholera epidemic and promote reconstruction and 
     development: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors those who lost their lives as a result of the 
     tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010;
       (2) honors the sacrifices of the men and women of the 
     Government of Haiti, the Government of the United States, the 
     United Nations, and the international community in their 
     responses to those affected by the earthquake;
       (3) expresses continued solidarity with the people of Haiti 
     as they work to rebuild their neighborhoods, livelihoods, and 
     country;
       (4) reaffirms the commitment of the Senate to support the 
     long-term reconstruction of Haiti, in partnership with the 
     Government of Haiti and in coordination with other donors;
       (5) supports the efforts of the Executive Branch to prevent 
     the spread of cholera, treat persons who contract the 
     disease, provide technical assistance to the Haitian Ministry 
     of Public Health, and improve long-term water, sanitation, 
     and health systems;
       (6) expresses support for the United States Embassy team in 
     Port-au-Prince, members of the United States Coast Guard, 
     United States Armed Forces, other United States Government 
     personnel, and all members of international organizations who 
     have persevered through adverse local conditions and continue 
     to serve Haiti and the Haitian people;
       (7) supports the continued effort of the Interim Haiti 
     Recovery Commission, under the leadership of former President 
     Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Bellerive, in its efforts to 
     improve coordination, build state capacity, and bring donors 
     and the Government of Haiti together to effectively lead the 
     reconstruction process;
       (8) urges the international community--
       (A) to call on the leaders of Haiti to immediately reach a 
     democratic resolution to the current electoral crisis to 
     enable the newly elected leaders of the Government of Haiti 
     to take office by February 7, 2011, or shortly thereafter;
       (B) to continue to focus assistance on the priorities of 
     the Government of Haiti;
       (C) to develop, improve, and scale-up communications and 
     participatory mechanisms to more substantially involve 
     Haitian civil society at all stages of the cholera and post-
     earthquake responses; and
       (D) to give priority to programs that protect and involve 
     vulnerable populations, including internally displaced 
     persons, children, and persons with disabilities;
       (9) urges aid agencies--
       (A) to train and use Haitian local and national authorities 
     in the delivery of assistance; and
       (B) to enhance their coordination and consultation with the 
     Haitian people and key Haitian Government ministries to 
     ensure the effectiveness of aid; and
       (10) expresses support for--
       (A) the continuation of the work of United States agencies, 
     nongovernmental organizations, private volunteer 
     organizations, regional institutions, and United Nations 
     agencies to confront the consequences of the crises affecting 
     Haiti;
       (B) comprehensive assessments of the long-term needs for 
     confronting the cholera epidemic in Haiti, including the 
     construction of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure; 
     and

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       (C) the continuation of humanitarian and development 
     efforts between the Government of the United States and the 
     Government of Haiti, the Haitian Diaspora, and international 
     actors who support the goal of a better future for Haiti.

                          ____________________