[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 160 (Tuesday, November 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             TYPHOON HAIYAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 12, 2013

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my profound 
sympathy for the loss of life and destruction in the Philippines caused 
by Typhoon Haiyan.
  Ten thousand people are feared to be dead. More than nine million 
people are estimated to have been affected, including 650,000 who have 
been displaced. In some of the hardest hit areas, the typhoon destroyed 
70-80 percent of the structures in its path, severely hampering rescue 
and relief efforts for the millions in need.
  Life-saving assistance is desperately needed. The U.S. government has 
already deployed U.S. Marines to assist in search and rescue and relief 
efforts. The U.S. Agency for International Development is providing 55 
metric tons of emergency food and emergency shelters and hygiene 
materials for 10,000 families. This weekend, many of my Filipino 
constituents were networking with each other and relatives in the 
Philippines, to ensure families were able to get in touch with loved 
ones. Two containers of medicine have already been sent and the 
Philippine Center of Minnesota is organizing to send needed food, 
blankets, and emergency supplies. The Twin Cities community will 
continue to organize to respond to this crisis.
  To people of the Philippines, we mourn your losses with you and will 
not abandon you in this time of need. And, when the immediate crisis 
has passed and the Philippines begins the long process of rebuilding, 
the U.S. government will continue to stand with our neighbors in the 
Pacific.

                          ____________________