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 soli-
darity 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 approxi-
mately 15 miles southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince; 
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•HRES 49 IH 
Whereas according to USGS, the earthquake was followed by 
59 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater, the most se-
vere 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 Inter-
national 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, in-
cluding to roads, ports, hospitals, and residential dwell-
ings, 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) con-
ducted 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 pov-
erty 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, co-
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•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 commu-
nity, 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 reso-
lute; 
Whereas individuals, businesses, and philanthropic organiza-
tions across the United States and throughout the inter-
national 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 Mi-
gration, 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 emer-
gency, causing further destruction of agricultural crops 
and food insecurity for over 5,000,000 people; 
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•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 vulner-
ability 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 tem-
porary 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 glob-
al 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 
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