[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21312]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO COUNTRIES OF 
 CARIBBEAN DEVASTATED BY HURRICANES CHARLEY, FRANCES, IVAN, AND JEANNE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 2004

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today to 
support H. Con. Res. 496 commending the governments of the countries of 
the Caribbean for their efforts to respond and assist the people of the 
region after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, 
Ivan, and Jeanne from August to September 2004. I also recognize 
American aid workers, development organizations, and the response teams 
who have provided humanitarian assistance to the people of Grenada, 
Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the other 
affected island nations.
  Coming from Houston, I know all too well that hurricanes are a fact 
of life for anybody living in the region. But this year's hurricane 
season is different. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration predicted that 2004 would be an above average Atlantic 
hurricane season and three of these four hurricanes have been 
categorized by the National Weather Service as ``major'' hurricanes. 
The American people have also endured the impact of this year's 
hurricane season.
  The challenges that the people in the Caribbean have faced since 
Charley's arrival in August have been particularly great. Hundreds have 
died and tens of thousands of people are displaced or are homeless as a 
result of these hurricanes. Some estimate that the cost of 
reconstruction in the region could exceed a quarter billion dollars.
  Nevertheless the effects would have been greater were it not for the 
actions of the Caribbean governments and the international community. 
The U.S. assistance to the region is being coordinated by the U.S. 
Agency for International Development with the Caribbean Disaster 
Emergency Response Agency and donor organizations in the Eastern 
Caribbean Donor Group. International organizations such as the World 
Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations, and the 
Organization of American States have joined the U.S. in providing 
necessary assistance to the region.
  I support this resolution and ask my colleagues to encourage the 
President and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International 
Development to provide the funding to private volunteer organizations, 
the United Nations, and regional institutions that will help to 
mitigate the effects from Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne 
and to provide technical assistance for the reconstruction that will 
help to minimize the impact of future hurricanes in the region.

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