[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 31 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 31
Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on
January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives, and expressing
continued solidarity with the Haitian people.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 15, 2013
Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. Brown of Florida,
Mr. Capuano, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr.
Deutch, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Meng, Mr.
McGovern, Mr. Payne, and Ms. Norton) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on
January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives, and expressing
continued solidarity with the Haitian people.
Whereas on January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country of
Haiti;
Whereas according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake
epicenter was located approximately 15 miles southwest of the capital,
Port-au-Prince;
Whereas according to USGS, the earthquake was followed by 59 aftershocks of
magnitude 4.5 or greater, the most severe measuring 6.0;
Whereas according to the Government of Haiti, more than 316,000 people died as a
result of the earthquake;
Whereas according to the United Nations and the International Organization for
Migration, an estimated 3,000,000 people have been directly affected by
the disaster, nearly one-third of the country's population, and
1,300,000 people were displaced to settlements;
Whereas casualty numbers and infrastructure damage, including to roads, ports,
hospitals, and residential dwellings, place the earthquake as the worst
cataclysm to hit Haiti in over two centuries and, proportionally, one of
the world's worst natural disasters in modern times;
Whereas the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) conducted by the Government of
Haiti, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American
Development Bank, and other experts estimates that damage and economic
losses totaled $7,800,000,000, approximately 120 percent of Haiti's
gross domestic product in 2009;
Whereas the PDNA estimates that $11,500,000,000 over three years is required for
Haiti's reconstruction and to lay the groundwork for long-term
development;
Whereas prior to the earthquake, more than 70 percent of Haitians lived on less
than $2 per day and Haiti ranked 158 out of 187 countries on the United
Nations Human Development Index;
Whereas prior to the earthquake, Haiti was still in the process of recovering
from a catastrophic series of hurricanes and tropical storms, food
shortages and rising commodity prices, and political instability, but
was showing encouraging signs of improvement;
Whereas President Barack Obama vowed the ``unwavering support'' of the United
States and pledged a ``swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save
lives and support the recovery in Haiti'';
Whereas Congress passed House Resolution 1021 on January 21, 2010, on a vote of
411 to 1, expressing its ``deepest condolences and sympathy for the
horrific loss of life'' and bipartisan ``support for the recovery and
long-term reconstruction needs of Haiti'';
Whereas the response to the tragedy from the global community, and especially
from the countries of the Western Hemisphere, has been overwhelmingly
positive;
Whereas the initial emergency response of the men and women of the United States
Government, led by the United States Agency for International
Development and United States Southern Command, was swift and resolute;
Whereas individuals, businesses, and philanthropic organizations across the
United States and throughout the international community responded in
support of Haiti and its populace during this crisis, sometimes in
innovative ways such as fundraising through text messaging, which some
estimates reveal has raised more than $40,000,000;
Whereas significant challenges still remain in Haiti as it works to recover and
rebuild;
Whereas according to the International Organization for Migration, approximately
360,000 people remain in spontaneous and organized camps in Haiti and
hundreds of thousands of Haiti's poor continue to live in precarious
housing conditions that make them vulnerable to potential future natural
disasters;
Whereas in 2012 alone, Haiti faced a long drought period and 2 major tropical
storms that destroyed 70 percent of agricultural crops in Haiti,
impacting the lives of nearly 2,000,000 people facing food insecurity;
Whereas a devastated agricultural sector has a ripple effect throughout the
Haitian economy and affects the most vulnerable, particularly children
and poor women and men;
Whereas Haiti's food insecurity results largely from entrenched neglect of its
agricultural sector, particularly smallholder farmers who grow most of
the Haitian food, and account for a large percentage of the food
insecure populations;
Whereas according to numerous nongovernmental organizations and United States
contractors, the pace of reconstruction has lagged significantly behind
the original emergency relief phase;
Whereas according to an independent United Nations panel investigation, on
October 19, 2010, an outbreak of cholera was detected in the Lower
Artibonite region, originating from a tributary near the Minustah camp
at Mirebelais, where the panel found that sanitation conditions ``were
not sufficient to prevent fecal contamination of the Meye Tributary
System of the Artibonite River'';
Whereas initial efforts to contain the epidemic were disrupted by Hurricane
Tomas and resulting widespread flooding, which led to the spreading and
entrenchment of the disease throughout the country;
Whereas according to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population, as of
December 12, 2012, more than 7,820 people have died from cholera and
more than 629,000 have been infected;
Whereas according to the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health
Organization, cholera could spread to 118,000 people within the next
year, potentially causing over 1,400 deaths at the current case fatality
rate;
Whereas the Governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, jointly with the
Pan American Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund,
and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have
developed a 10-year plan to eliminate cholera from Hispaniola through
treatment, hygiene education, and the building of sustainable water and
sanitation infrastructure;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General announced that only approximately
10 percent of the funds needed to execute this plan have been secured;
Whereas throughout these crises, the people of Haiti continue to demonstrate
unwavering resilience, dignity, and courage;
Whereas at the international donors conference ``Towards a New Future for
Haiti'' held on March 31, 2010, 59 donors pledged approximately
$5,600,000,000, including nearly $1,150,000,000 from the United States,
to support the Government of Haiti's Action Plan for National Recovery
and Development;
Whereas the United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti estimates that
of the recovery and development funds pledged for 2010 through 2012,
approximately 53 percent has been disbursed; and
Whereas Haiti requires the sustained assistance from the United States and the
international community in order to confront the ongoing cholera
epidemic and promote reconstruction and development: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors those who lost their lives due to the tragic
earthquake of January 12, 2010;
(2) honors the sacrifice of the men and women of the
Government of Haiti, the United States Government, the United
Nations, and the international community in their response to
those affected by the calamity;
(3) expresses continued solidarity with the people of Haiti
as they work to rebuild their neighborhoods, livelihoods, and
country;
(4) reaffirms its commitment to support Haiti, in
partnership with the Government of Haiti and in coordination
with other donors, in long-term reconstruction;
(5) supports the efforts of the Administration to increase
food security in Haiti through sustainable agriculture
programs, shore up housing initiatives for Haiti's poor and
vulnerable, prevent the spread of cholera, treat persons who
contract the disease, provide technical assistance to the
Haitian Ministry of Public Health, and improve longer-term
water, sanitation, and health systems;
(6) urges the President and the international community
to--
(A) continue to focus assistance on building the
capacity of Haiti's public sector to sustainably
provide basic services to its people;
(B) develop, improve, and scale-up communications
and participatory mechanisms to more substantially
involve Haitian civil society at all stages of the
post-earthquake responses; and
(C) give priority to programs that protect and
involve vulnerable populations, including internally
displaced persons, children, women and girls, and
persons with disabilities;
(7) urges the President to--
(A) continue to make available to United States
agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private
volunteer organizations, regional institutions, and
United Nations agencies the resources necessary to
confront the consequences of the natural disaster;
(B) support the efforts of the United Nations
Secretary-General to secure the necessary resources
required to fully execute plans to eliminate cholera
from the island of Hispaniola through enhanced
treatment and prevention efforts, and through the
development of clean water and sanitation
infrastructure that is accessible to all Haitians;
(C) continue to lead humanitarian and development
efforts with the Government of Haiti, the Haitian
Diaspora, and international actors who share in the
goal of a better future for Haiti;
(D) maximize responsible local and regional
procurement;
(E) establish improved and transparent mechanisms
for monitoring the implementation of United States
Government-funded aid programs; and
(F) work with Haitian authorities and private
landowners to prevent the forced eviction of internally
displaced person communities and provide decent housing
for the poorest and most vulnerable Haitians; and
(8) desires a clear understanding for what would constitute
success in the priority areas identified by the United States
Department of State.
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