IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 561 

Commending the outstanding efforts by members of the United States Armed 

Forces and civilian employees of the Department of State and the United 

States Agency for International Development in response to the earthquake in South Asia that occurred on October 8, 2005. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 17, 2005 

Mr. BURTON of Indiana (for himself, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. LINDA

T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Mr. POE, Mr. MCCAUL of Texas, and Mr. 

WELDON of Pennsylvania) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to 

the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Commending the outstanding efforts by members of the 

United States Armed Forces and civilian employees of 

the Department of State and the United States Agency 

for International Development in response to the earthquake in South Asia that occurred on October 8, 2005. 

Whereas on October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake 

struck Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan; 

Whereas the epicenter of the earthquake was located near 

Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered 

Kashmir, and approximately 60 miles north-northeast of 
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•HRES 561 IH 

Islamabad, with aftershocks and landslides continuing to 

affect the area; 

Whereas the most affected areas are the North West Frontier 

Province (NWFP), Northern Punjab, Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and Indian-administered Kashmir; 

Whereas over 75,000 people have died, almost 70,000 are injured and approximately 2.9 million people are homeless 

as a result of the earthquake, with 17,000 of the dead 

being children according to the Executive Director of the 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); 

Whereas the United States has pledged a total of 

$156,000,000: $50,000,000 for humanitarian relief, 

$50,000,000 for reconstruction, and $56,000,000 to support Department of Defense relief operations; 

Whereas the total amount of humanitarian assistance committed to Pakistan by the United States Agency for 

International Development is over $40,000,000; 

Whereas the Department of Defense has deployed approximately 875 members of the Armed Forces and 31 helicopters to aid in the earthquake relief efforts; 

Whereas since October 8, 2005, United States helicopters 

have flown 885 missions, evacuated 3,400 people, and delivered almost 5.6 million pounds of supplies; 

Whereas the delivery of humanitarian assistance is constricted by the mountainous area, cold weather, and damaged or collapsed infrastructure; 

Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during her October 12, 2005, visit to Pakistan, said the United States 

would support Pakistan over the long-term in the Pakistani Government’s efforts to provide assistance to the 
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victims of the earthquake and rebuild parts of the country devastated by the earthquake; 

Whereas the cost of rebuilding the affected areas could be in 

excess of $1,000,000,000; and 

Whereas the recovery and reconstruction of the devastated 

areas will require the concerted leadership of the United 

States working with the governments of the affected 

countries and the international community: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commends the members of the United 

3 States Armed Forces and civilian employees of the 

4 Department of State and the United States Agency 

5 for International Development for taking swift ac6 tion to assist the victims of the earthquake in South 

7 Asia that occurred on October 8, 2005; 

8 (2) commends the ongoing international relief 

9 effort that includes the work of individual countries, 

10 numerous international organizations, and various 

11 relief and nongovernmental entities; 

12 (3) commends the Governments of Pakistan 

13 and India for their cooperation in the common cause 

14 of saving lives and providing humanitarian relief to 

15 people on both sides of the Line of Control; 

16 (4) encourages further cooperation between 

17 Pakistan and India on relief operations and efforts 

18 to fortify and expand peace and stability in the re-
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1 gion as they cope with the impact of the earthquake 

2 over the next several months and seek to rehabilitate 

3 the lives of those affected; 

4 (5) urges the United States and the world com5 munity to reaffirm their commitment to additional 

6 generous support for relief and long-term recon7 struction efforts in areas affected by the earthquake; 

8 and 

9 (6) urges continued attention by international 

10 donors and relief agencies to the needs of vulnerable 

11 populations in the stricken countries, particularly 

12 the thousands of children who have been left 

13 parentless and homeless by this disaster. 

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