[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 519]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF HAITI EARTHQUAKE

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the fifth anniversary of 
the devastating earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti. Monday 
marked 5 years since a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck some 15 miles 
southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's population center and the seat of 
its government.
  Mr. Speaker, the aftermath of the quake was unimaginable. Estimates 
of as many as 316,000 people perished, and nearly 1.3 million were 
displaced. This tragedy struck in a nation already hobbled by grinding 
poverty, health disparities, and food insecurity. It crippled the 
infrastructure of government, destroyed the National Palace, ministry 
buildings, and tragically robbed the nation of some of its most 
talented civil servants.
  In spite of the many challenges, once again, the Haitian people rose 
to the occasion, and our Nation, to date, has contributed billions to 
recovery efforts, along with donors around the world. The American 
people and the Haitian people deserve that this aid be delivered in the 
most effective way.
  My bill, the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, had bipartisan support 
and was signed into law by President Obama. This bill--now this law--
provides critical oversight and reporting. And this week, along with my 
colleague Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, we are asking our colleagues 
to join us to reintroduce a resolution commemorating this tragic 
earthquake.

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