Expressing the Sense of the Senate on the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

111th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. RES. 392

Expressing the Sense of the Senate on the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 21, 2010

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. DODD, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. BURRIS, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. BENNET, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr. BROWN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. KIRK, Mr. BEGICH, Mr. BAYH, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. KOHL, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mrs. HAGAN, Mr. REED, Mr. CORKER, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. KAUFMAN, and Mr. REID) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

Expressing the Sense of the Senate on the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Whereas, on January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale and its aftershocks devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti and the surrounding areas, killing potentially 100,000 people, injuring hundreds of thousands more people, and leaving many hundreds of thousands of people homeless;

Whereas Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has an estimated 54 percent of its population living on less than $1 per day, 120,000 people living with HIV, 29,333 new cases of Tuberculosis reported in 2007, and nearly 400,000 children living in orphanages;

Whereas, despite the heroic efforts of the Haitian people and the support of the international community, Haiti remains seriously weakened by prior natural disasters, including an unprecedented string of devastating tropical storms in 2008 that left almost 500 Haitians dead and affected hundreds of thousands more people during an acute food crisis;

Whereas these disasters have grievously undermined Haiti's struggle to rebuild its infrastructure and to restore critical services related to health, education, poverty, and hunger to create effective governmental and nongovernmental institutions;

Whereas Haiti has struggled for many years to overcome systemic threats to public health and shortages of food, potable water, and cooking fuel, significant environmental degradation, and political and economic fragility;

Whereas, on January 13, 2010, President Obama stated, `I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. The people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble, and to deliver the humanitarian relief - the food, water, and medicine - that Haitians will need in the coming days.';

Whereas on January 13, 2010, Rajiv Shah, the Director of the United States Agency for International Development stated that the United States Government is `working aggressively and in a highly coordinated way across the Federal Government to bring all of the assets and capacities we have to bear to quickly and effectively provide as much assistance as possible.';

Whereas, on January 14, 2010, President Obama pledged $100,000,000 in immediate assistance to the people of Haiti, and dispatched the 82nd Airborne Division, a Marine Expeditionary Unit, the USS Carl Vinson, the USS Bataan, the United States Navy hospital ship, the USS Comfort, and several Disaster Assistant Response Teams, to aid in relief efforts;

Whereas the international community, which has generously provided security, development, and humanitarian assistance to Haiti, has suffered a substantial blow during the earthquake with the collapse of the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti with approximately 150 staff members inside, including the head of the mission, Hedi Annabi, representing the largest single loss of life in United Nations history; and

Whereas, despite the aforementioned losses, the United Nations continues to coordinate efforts on the ground in Haiti, and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has pledged that `the community of nations will unite in its resolve and help Haiti to overcome this latest trauma and begin the work of social and economic reconstruction that will carry this proud nation forward.'.

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) expresses profound sympathy to, and unwavering support for, the people of Haiti, who have suffered over many years and face catastrophic conditions in the aftermath of the January 12, 2010 earthquake, and sympathy to the members of the international community in Haiti, including the staff of the United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince;

(2) applauds the rapid and concerted mobilization by President Obama to provide immediate emergency humanitarian assistance to Haiti, and the leadership of Secretary of State Clinton, USAID Administrator Shah, and General Fraser of the United States Southern Command in marshaling United States Government resources and personnel to address both the short- and long-term crises in Haiti;

(3) urges that all appropriate efforts be made to secure the safety of Haitian orphans;

(4) urges that all appropriate efforts be made to sustain assistance to Haiti beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis to help the Haitian people with appropriate humanitarian, developmental, and infrastructure assistance needed to overcome the effects of past disasters and the earthquake, and to secure a more stable and sustainable future;

(5) expresses appreciation for the international community's ongoing and renewed commitment to Haiti's security and recovery;

(6) acknowledges the profound sympathy of the people of the United States for the families and colleagues of United Nations officials who lost their lives and the continued support for the peacekeepers who are working around the clock to provide critical humanitarian support for all those affected by the earthquake;

(7) urges all nations to commit to assisting the people of Haiti with their long-term needs; and

(8) expresses support for the United States Embassy team in Port-au-Prince, members of the United States Coast Guard, United States Armed Forces, and other United States Government agencies who are valiantly rescuing thousands of United States citizens and Haitians under extremely adverse conditions.

END