23378: White: Rep. Waters' Floor statement on HConRes 496 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Randall White <raw@haitiaction.org>


 From the Congressional Record, October 4, 2004, debate on H. Con. Res. 496:


Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for
helping to organize us to be able to address this most important
issue this evening.

I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 496, a resolution that simply
supports humanitarian assistance to countries of the Caribbean
devastated by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. The
recent hurricanes have had devastating impacts on several Caribbean
nations. In Grenada, Hurricane Ivan destroyed 90 percent of the homes
and 78 percent of the

electrical system, as well as numerous government buildings,
hospitals, schools and churches. Approximately 60,000 of the

island's 95,000 inhabitants were left homeless. In Jamaica, 18,000
people were displaced by Hurricane Ivan, which was the

worst natural disaster to hit Jamaica in 50 years. The Bahamas
incurred an estimated $125 million in damage as a result of

Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. In Haiti, Hurricane Jeanne caused
extensive flooding and left 300,000 people homeless. More than 1,500
Haitians were killed, and another 900 are still missing. Thousands of
people are in desperate need of food,

clean water, emergency shelter and medical care. Relief efforts
continue to be hampered by water and mud covering the main roads, and
stagnant waters have given rise to a large mosquito population that
could lead to a malaria epidemic.

The nations of the Caribbean are small island nations that do not
have the capacity to respond to the widespread death

and destruction caused by hurricanes of this magnitude. Immediate
assistance from the United States is critical to enable

these countries to meet the emergency needs of their people and begin
to rebuild damaged homes and infrastructure.

I am thankful that the President did show some concern, and he
proposed $50 million in supplemental appropriations to

cover disaster relief for the nations of the Caribbean that have been
devastated by hurricanes and tropical storms. But it is a

very small amount, and it cannot begin to meet the tremendous needs
of thousands of Haitians, let alone the needs of our

other Caribbean neighbors. The affected countries and territories
include Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic,
Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, the
Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, the Turks and Caicos, even Venezuela,
Cuba, the U.S. Virgin Islands, have all felt the devastation of these
hurricanes. So we

need a lot more to respond to this terrible devastation.

Even though the President has proposed $50 million in supplemental
appropriations, it is a small amount, and it cannot

begin to meet the tremendous needs of thousands of Haitians, let
alone the needs of all of these other countries. The Congressional
Black Caucus is on record now in asking the President for at least
$500 million in disaster relief to mount an

effective response. Of course, I would urge my colleagues to vote for
H. Con. Res. 496. I would also urge my colleagues to

provide a supplemental appropriation of at least $500 million in
disaster assistance to help our Caribbean neighbors rebuild

their homes and their lives after these unprecedented storms. This
resolution does not have that amount in it, and we know

that we must do the work with the Appropriations Committee, but this
is a resolution that would give recognition to this

tremendous devastation that has taken place and squarely place us on
record in wanting to respond to it.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to share with the gentlewoman
from California this concern as we demonstrate through this
resolution.