[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 161 (Wednesday, November 13, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8006-S8007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 292--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE 
         TYPHOON IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THE SURROUNDING REGION

  Mr. SCHATZ (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Rubio, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mrs. Boxer, and Mr. Begich) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 292

       Whereas on November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda, also known as 
     Typhoon Haiyan, struck the Republic of the Philippines and 
     the surrounding region;
       Whereas Typhoon Yolanda is the strongest typhoon in 
     recorded history to make landfall;
       Whereas President Benigno Aquino III declared a state of 
     national calamity after Typhoon Yolanda hit the central 
     Philippines;
       Whereas the typhoon caused widespread flooding and 
     landslides, particularly in the provinces of Eastern Samar 
     and Leyte, which experienced storm surges of up to 13

[[Page S8007]]

     feet and sustained winds of more than 175 miles per hour;
       Whereas authorities in the Philippines have confirmed at 
     least 1,798 deaths, a toll that is expected to rise as 
     thousands of individuals remain missing as of the date of 
     this resolution;
       Whereas unofficial estimates project the number of deaths 
     to be over 10,000;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the 
     Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 670,000 
     people have been displaced and 11,300,000 people have been 
     affected by Typhoon Yolanda;
       Whereas, according to the Philippine National Disaster Risk 
     Reduction and Management Council, the typhoon destroyed or 
     damaged approximately 149,015 houses, as well as public 
     infrastructure and agricultural land across 41 provinces;
       Whereas, in Ormoc City, the second largest city in the 
     province of Leyte, the typhoon damaged or destroyed 
     approximately 80 to 90 percent of housing;
       Whereas the United Nations World Food Program estimates 
     that 2,500,000 people will need food assistance in the 
     aftermath of the typhoon;
       Whereas the Government of the Philippines has been leading 
     and coordinating the disaster response in the Philippines, 
     including the evacuation of more than 792,000 people to 
     temporary shelters and pre-positioning food commodities and 
     emergency relief supplies in advance of the typhoon, and 
     deploying military assets and road-clearing equipment to 
     assist with relief operations;
       Whereas the response by the United States Government to 
     this tragedy has included $20,000,000 in aid;
       Whereas a United States Agency for International 
     Development Disaster Assistance Response Team, elements of 
     the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and other United States 
     military and civilian personnel have deployed to the 
     Philippines to provide aid and coordinate United States 
     relief efforts;
       Whereas the Philippines and the United States fought side-
     by-side during World War II to defend the Bataan Peninsula 
     and subsequently liberate the Philippines from Japanese 
     control;
       Whereas the Philippines and the United States share a long, 
     close relationship as allies, as evidenced by the 1951 U.S.-
     Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, which was reaffirmed by 
     the Manila Declaration signed in 2011, and the United States 
     designation of the Philippines as a Major Non-NATO Ally;
       Whereas the Philippines and the United States share strong 
     economic, security, and people-to-people ties, including 
     approximately 4,000,000 Americans of Philippine ancestry 
     living in the United States, and more than 300,000 United 
     States citizens residing in the Philippines; and
       Whereas the Philippines and the United States share a long 
     tradition of mutual support and cooperation: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) mourns the loss of life resulting from the typhoon;
       (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the families of 
     the victims of this tragedy;
       (3) expresses solidarity with the survivors, and all those 
     who have lost loved ones or otherwise been affected by the 
     tragedy;
       (4) supports the efforts of the Government of the 
     Philippines to lead and coordinate assistance to address 
     immediate humanitarian needs and to begin reconstruction 
     efforts;
       (5) supports the ongoing efforts of the United States 
     Government, the international community, relief agencies, and 
     private citizens to assist the governments and peoples of the 
     Philippines and the surrounding region in their time of need; 
     and
       (6) encourages the United States and the international 
     community to provide additional humanitarian assistance to 
     aid the survivors and support reconstruction efforts, as 
     appropriate.

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