IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 49 

Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 

12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives in the earthquake and 

in Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, and expressing continued solidarity with the Haitian people. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 12, 2017 

Ms. LEE (for herself, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of 

California, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. WILSON

of Florida, Mr. RUSH, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. 

LOWEY, and Ms. TSONGAS) 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 in the earthquake and in Hurricane Matthew in 

October 2016, 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; 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HRES 49 IH 

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 were 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 Managing PDNAs estimated that 

$11,500,000,000 over three years would be required for 

Haiti’s reconstruction and to lay the groundwork for 

long-term development; 

Whereas in 2012, the World Bank estimated that nearly 60 

percent of Haitians were living under the national poverty line and Haiti ranked 163 out of 188 countries on 

the United Nations Human Development Index; 

Whereas President Barack Obama vowed the ‘‘unwavering 

support’’ of the United States and pledged a ‘‘swift, coVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:38 Jan 13, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR49.IH HR49

rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HRES 49 IH 

ordinated 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 according to the International Organization for Migration, as of September 2016, approximately 55,000 

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 2016, Haiti continued to face long droughts and 

dry El Nin ̃o conditions at the level of a national emergency, causing further destruction of agricultural crops 

and food insecurity for over 5,000,000 people; 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HRES 49 IH 

Whereas Hurricane Matthew caused significant and further 

damage to Haiti, directly affecting 1,400,000 people, 

causing 175,000 to be displaced, and pushing 806,000 

into severe food insecurity, and due to increased vulnerability from Hurricane Matthew the number of fatalities 

continues to rise; 

Whereas screening of vulnerable groups shows evidence of 

high rates of malnutrition and the need for immediate 

special attention programs, especially for children under 

the age of 5; 

Whereas many displaced Haitians continue to live in temporary shelters, such as schools, churches, or shelters 

that have been pieced together with scrap aluminum 

sheets, tarps, and wood; 

Whereas schools in many areas still have not reopened since 

the Hurricane Matthew; 

Whereas between 80 to 90 percent of crops in the Grande 

Anse and South were destroyed by Hurricane Matthew 

and farmers have not yet received support for seeds and 

tools; 

Whereas only 48 percent of the United Nations $178,000,000 

Flash Appeal for Haiti has been funded; 

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 geographical location in the hurricane belt, 

acute ecological damage, rising sea levels, increasing global temperatures, severity of hurricanes, drought, and 

other forms of climate disruption combine to make Haiti 

one of the three most climate vulnerable countries in the 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HRES 49 IH 

world, with devastating consequences for all sectors of its 

economy and society; 

Whereas Haiti’s growing food insecurity results largely from 

deforestation and entrenched neglect of its rural agricultural sector, particularly smallholder farmers who grow 

most of the food in Haiti, and account for a large percentage of the food insecure populations; 

Whereas in 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization 

(FAO) Global Food Security Index ranked Haiti’s food 

sector 108 out of 113 countries surveyed; 

Whereas Haiti’s vulnerability to natural disasters is rooted in 

the dearth of stable public infrastructure and housing 

due to rapid urbanization and is exacerbated by climate 

change; 

Whereas Haiti will be unable to adapt to, and mitigate its 

disproportional vulnerability to climate change unless the 

Haitian government is resourced and empowered to implement comprehensive disaster prevention and relief 

measures; 

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 United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (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 according to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health 

and Population (MSPP), as of May 28, 2016, 9,317 people have died from cholera and nearly 780,140 have been 

infected; 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HRES 49 IH 

Whereas, according to the MSPP, the damage caused by 

Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 resulted in a sharp 

increase in the number of cholera cases in Haiti; 

Whereas in August 2016 the Government of Haiti, supported 

by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan 

American Health Association (PAHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other members of the Regional Coalition to Eliminate Cholera in 

Hispaniola presented an updated medium-term plan on 

cholera for 2016–2018 to improve coordination among 

national and international partners, ensure rapid response to outbreaks, vaccinate vulnerable populations and 

improve water, sanitation, and health; 

Whereas, on December 1, 2016, United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon spoke directly to the Haitian people while addressing the United Nations General Assembly, stating ‘‘we apologize to the Haitian people. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry 

for our role.’’; 

Whereas, on December 1, 2016, the United Nations presented a new two-track response to cholera in Haiti, including material assistance to those Haitians most directly affected by cholera as well as intensified efforts to 

control treat and eradicate cholera; 

Whereas the United Nations has launched a Multi-Partner 

Trust Fund to support the new response and is seeking 

$400,000,000 in donor contributions, with $200,000,000 

to be allocated to Track 1 and $200,000,000 to Track 2 

of the new response; 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HRES 49 IH 

Whereas throughout these crises, the people of Haiti continue 

to demonstrate unwavering resilience, dignity, and courage; 

Whereas the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act (APHA) seeks 

to ‘‘measure the progress of recovery and development efforts in Haiti’’ since the devastating earthquake of January 2010 and was passed in response to widespread concerns regarding the mixed results and opacity of postquake relief and reconstruction efforts; 

Whereas the Department of State has produced two of four 

annual reports with detailed information on the status of 

United States aid programs in Haiti with the aim of increasing transparency and accountability with respect to 

the roughly $4,000,000,000 that the United States Government has allocated for Haiti aid since the earthquake; 

Whereas, as of September 30, 2016, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates 

that of the roughly $4,000,000,000 allocated for humanitarian relief assistance and recovery and reconstruction 

and development in the post-earthquake recovery, approximately 83 percent of such funds has been disbursed; 

Whereas an evaluation led by the MSPP in areas affected by 

Hurricane Matthew’s landfall on October 4, 2016, concluded that public health facilities may viably provide essential services, but severely lack the equipment and medical commodities to do so; 

Whereas significant challenges still remain in Haiti as it 

works to recover and rebuild from past natural disasters 

and to prepare for future ones; and 

Whereas Haiti requires the sustained assistance of the United 

States and the international community in order to preVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:38 Jan 13, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR49.IH HR49

rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HRES 49 IH 

vent further malnutrition in key vulnerable groups, prevent an increase in hunger in 2017, address chronic food 

insecurity, confront the ongoing cholera epidemic and 

mitigate vulnerability to climate change: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) honors those who lost their lives due to the 

3 tragic earthquake that struck the country of Haiti 

4 on January 12, 2010; 

5 (2) honors those who lost their lives due to 

6 Hurricane Matthew in October 2016; 

7 (3) honors the sacrifice of the men and women 

8 of the Government of Haiti, the United States Gov9 ernment, the United Nations, and the international 

10 community in their response to those affected and 

11 who continue to be affected by these calamities; 

12 (4) expresses continued solidarity with the peo13 ple of Haiti as they work to prevent malnutrition 

14 and hunger, mitigate the effects of climate change, 

15 and rebuild their homes, neighborhoods, livelihoods, 

16 and country; 

17 (5) reaffirms its commitment to support Haiti, 

18 in partnership with the Government of Haiti and in 

19 coordination with other donors, in long-term develop20 ment and disaster preparedness; 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
9 

•HRES 49 IH 

1 (6) supports the efforts of the Administration 

2 to increase food security in Haiti through sustain3 able agriculture programs, shore up housing initia4 tives for Haiti’s poor and vulnerable, prevent the 

5 spread of cholera, treat persons who contract the 

6 disease, provide technical assistance to the Haitian 

7 Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), 

8 and improve longer-term water, sanitation, and 

9 health systems; 

10 (7) urges the President and the international 

11 community to— 

12 (A) continue to focus assistance on build13 ing the capacity of Haiti’s public sector and re14 inforcing the systems it employs to sustainably 

15 provide basic services to its people; 

16 (B) develop, improve, and scale-up commu17 nications and participatory mechanisms to more 

18 substantially involve Haitian civil society at all 

19 stages of post-disaster responses; and 

20 (C) give priority to programs that protect 

21 and involve vulnerable populations, including in22 ternally displaced persons, children, especially 

23 malnourished children under the age of 5, preg24 nant and lactating women, women and girls, 

25 and persons with disabilities; and 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
10 

•HRES 49 IH 

1 (8) urges the President to— 

2 (A) continue to make available to United 

3 States Government agencies, nongovernmental 

4 organizations, private volunteer organizations, 

5 regional institutions, and United Nations agen6 cies the resources necessary to confront the on7 going consequences of these natural disasters; 

8 (B) support the efforts of the United Na9 tions Secretary-General to secure the necessary 

10 resources required to fully execute the United 

11 Nations new two-track response to eradicate 

12 cholera from Haiti and provide material assist13 ance to those Haitians most directly affected by 

14 cholera; 

15 (C) continue to lead humanitarian and de16 velopment and disaster risk reduction efforts 

17 with the Government of Haiti, the Haitian Di18 aspora, and international actors who share in 

19 the goal of a better future for Haiti; 

20 (D) maximize responsible local and re21 gional procurement; 

22 (E) establish improved and transparent 

23 mechanisms for monitoring the implementation 

24 of United States Government-funded aid pro25 grams; and 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
11 

•HRES 49 IH 

1 (F) work with Haitian authorities and pri2 vate landowners to prevent the forced eviction 

3 of internally displaced person communities and 

4 provide decent housing for the poorest and most 

5 vulnerable Haitians. 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS