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 earth-
quake 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 deter-
mined 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 earth-
quake 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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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-adminis-
tered Kashmir, and Indian-administered Kashmir; 
Whereas over 75,000 people have died, almost 70,000 are in-
jured 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 sup-
port Department of Defense relief operations; 
Whereas the total amount of humanitarian assistance com-
mitted to Pakistan by the United States Agency for 
International Development is over $40,000,000; 
Whereas the Department of Defense has deployed approxi-
mately 875 members of the Armed Forces and 31 heli-
copters to aid in the earthquake relief efforts; 
Whereas since October 8, 2005, United States helicopters 
have flown 885 missions, evacuated 3,400 people, and de-
livered almost 5.6 million pounds of supplies; 
Whereas the delivery of humanitarian assistance is con-
stricted by the mountainous area, cold weather, and dam-
aged or collapsed infrastructure; 
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during her Oc-
tober 12, 2005, visit to Pakistan, said the United States 
would support Pakistan over the long-term in the Paki-
stani Government’s efforts to provide assistance to the
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victims of the earthquake and rebuild parts of the coun-
try 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, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commends the members of the United 
States Armed Forces and civilian employees of the 
Department of State and the United States Agency 
for International Development for taking swift ac-
tion to assist the victims of the earthquake in South 
Asia that occurred on October 8, 2005; 
(2) commends the ongoing international relief 
effort that includes the work of individual countries, 
numerous international organizations, and various 
relief and nongovernmental entities; 
(3) commends the Governments of Pakistan 
and India for their cooperation in the common cause 
of saving lives and providing humanitarian relief to 
people on both sides of the Line of Control; 
(4) encourages further cooperation between 
Pakistan and India on relief operations and efforts 
to fortify and expand peace and stability in the re-
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gion as they cope with the impact of the earthquake 
over the next several months and seek to rehabilitate 
the lives of those affected; 
(5) urges the United States and the world com-
munity to reaffirm their commitment to additional 
generous support for relief and long-term recon-
struction efforts in areas affected by the earthquake; 
and 
(6) urges continued attention by international 
donors and relief agencies to the needs of vulnerable 
populations in the stricken countries, particularly 
the thousands of children who have been left 
parentless and homeless by this disaster. 
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