23330: White: Rep. Waters' letter requesting $500 million in disaster assistance for Haiti and the Caribbean (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Randall White <raw@haitiaction.org>


October 5, 2004


The Honorable David Obey
Ranking Member
Appropriations Committee
1016 Longworth Building
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Obey:

         We are writing to request that you
include at least $500 million in disaster
assistance for the nations of the Caribbean in
the legislation providing supplemental
appropriations for hurricane relief, which is
expected to come before the House of
Representatives this week.

         Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and
Jeanne 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.

         We urge you to provide a supplemental
appropriation of at least $500 million in
disaster assistance for Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica,
the Bahamas and other Caribbean countries
affected by this year's hurricanes.  We look
forward to working with you to help our Caribbean
neighbors rebuild their homes and their lives
after these unprecedented storms.

                                                 Sincerely,

Maxine Waters
Barbara Lee
Corrine Brown
John Conyers
Edolphus Towns
Howard L. Berman
Donald Payne
Major R. Owens
Gregory Meeks
Julia Carson
Raśl M. Grijalva
Michael Capuano
Joseph Crowley
Robert Wexler
Diane E. Watson
Jan Schakowsky