III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 569 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the earthquake that struck 

Sichuan Province of the People’s Republic of China on May 12, 2008. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 19, 2008 

Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. 

CASEY, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. KERRY, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. 

LIEBERMAN, Mr. DODD, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. ISAKSON, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. SANDERS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. 

LEAHY, Mr. OBAMA, and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the earthquake 

that struck Sichuan Province of the People’s Republic 

of China on May 12, 2008. 

Whereas, on May 12, 2008, a powerful earthquake measuring 

7.9 on the Richter Scale struck Wenchuan County in the 

Sichuan Province of the People’s Republic of China, leaving at least 34,000 people dead, 245,000 people injured, 

and an estimated 5,000,000 people homeless; 

Whereas authorities of the Government of the People’s Republic of China report that approximately 9,500 people 

remain buried in Sichuan Province and another 29,000 

people remain missing; 

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•SRES 569 ATS 

Whereas authorities of the Government of the People’s Republic of China report that the final death toll is expected 

to exceed 50,000; 

Whereas authorities of the Government of the People’s Republic of China also report that as many as 4,700,000 

homes were destroyed in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi 

Provinces and nearly 80 percent of the buildings collapsed in Beichuan County; 

Whereas the sheer devastation caused by the earthquake and 

inclement weather has made rescue efforts exceptionally 

difficult, particularly in the areas hardest hit by the 

earthquake; 

Whereas authorities of the Government of the People’s Republic of China report that 158 relief workers were killed 

in landslides while working to repair roads in the areas 

most devastated by the earthquake; 

Whereas the Seismological Bureau of the People’s Republic 

of China reports that the earthquake has affected more 

than half of China’s provinces and municipalities; 

Whereas authorities of the Government of the People’s Republic of China report that more than 2,000 aftershocks 

have occurred in the aftermath of the earthquake, some 

greater than a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter Scale; 

Whereas authorities of the Government of the People’s Republic of China also report that 6,898 schoolrooms collapsed in Sichuan Province, trapping and killing hundreds of young students and their teachers; 

Whereas the earthquake of May 12, 2008, was China’s deadliest natural disaster since 1976, when hundreds of thousands of people were killed by an earthquake that struck 

the city of Tangshan; 

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•SRES 569 ATS 

Whereas, on May 12, 2008, President George W. Bush said 

that the United States ‘‘stands ready to help in any way 

possible’’; and 

Whereas the Prime Minister of China, Wen Jiabao, said on 

May 13, 2008, that ‘‘[t]he death toll and damage are 

more serious than we expected and we need more people 

here to help’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) mourns the horrific loss of life and terrible 

3 human suffering caused by the earthquake in the 

4 People’s Republic of China on May 12, 2008; 

5 (2) expresses its deep condolences to the people 

6 of the People’s Republic of China and to all those 

7 affected by this enormous tragedy; 

8 (3) expresses its profound sorrow for the fami9 lies of all who lost loved ones, including those who 

10 suffered the heartbreaking loss of having their chil11 dren trapped in schools that collapsed; 

12 (4) calls on the President to respond to any re13 quests for humanitarian assistance made by the 

14 Government of the People’s Republic of China; and 

15 (5) stands ready to support the provision of ad16 ditional resources, as necessary, to assist those im17 pacted by the earthquake. 

Æ 

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