IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 25 
Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 
12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives, and expressing continued 
solidarity with the Haitian people. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 9, 2015 
Ms. LEE (for herself and Ms. WILSON of Florida) 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, and expressing continued solidarity with the Hai-
tian 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; 
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; 
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Whereas according to the United Nations and the Inter-
national Organization for Migration, an estimated 
3,000,000 people have been directly affected by the dis-
aster, 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 PDNA estimates that $11,500,000,000 over 
three years is required for Haiti’s reconstruction and to 
lay the groundwork for long-term development; 
Whereas prior to the earthquake, more than 70 percent of 
Haitians lived on less than $2 per day and Haiti ranked 
158 out of 187 countries on the United Nations Human 
Development Index; 
Whereas prior to the earthquake, Haiti was still in the proc-
ess of recovering from a catastrophic series of hurricanes 
and tropical storms, food shortages and rising commodity 
prices, and political instability, but was showing encour-
aging signs of improvement; 
Whereas President Barack Obama vowed the ‘‘unwavering 
support’’ of the United States and pledged a ‘‘swift, co-
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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 significant challenges still remain in Haiti as it 
works to recover and rebuild; 
Whereas according to the International Organization for Mi-
gration, as of June 2013, approximately 279,000 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 2012 alone, Haiti faced a long drought period 
and 2 major tropical storms that destroyed 70 percent of 
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agricultural crops in Haiti, impacting the lives of nearly 
2,000,000 people facing food insecurity; 
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 food insecurity results largely from en-
trenched neglect of its agricultural sector, particularly 
smallholder farmers who grow most of the Haitian food, 
and account for a large percentage of the food insecure 
populations; 
Whereas according to numerous nongovernmental organiza-
tions and United States contractors, the pace of recon-
struction has lagged significantly behind the original 
emergency relief phase; 
Whereas according to an independent United Nations panel 
investigation, on October 19, 2010, an outbreak of chol-
era was detected in the Lower Artibonite region, origi-
nating from a tributary near the Minustah camp at 
Mirebelais, where the panel found that sanitation condi-
tions ‘‘were not sufficient to prevent fecal contamination 
of the Meye Tributary System of the Artibonite River’’; 
Whereas initial efforts to contain the epidemic were disrupted 
by Hurricane Toma´s and resulting widespread flooding, 
which led to the spreading and entrenchment of the dis-
ease throughout the country; 
Whereas according to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health 
and Population, as of January 31, 2014, more than 
8,562 people have died from cholera and more than 
698,304 have been infected; 
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Whereas the Governments of Haiti and the Dominican Re-
public, jointly with the Pan American Health Organiza-
tion, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the 
United States Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion, have developed a 10-year plan to eliminate cholera 
from Hispaniola through treatment, hygiene education, 
and the building of sustainable water and sanitation in-
frastructure; 
Whereas throughout these crises, the people of Haiti continue 
to demonstrate unwavering resilience, dignity, and cour-
age; 
Whereas at the international donors conference ‘‘Towards a 
New Future for Haiti’’ held on March 31, 2010, 59 do-
nors pledged approximately $5,600,000,000, including 
nearly $1,150,000,000 from the United States, to sup-
port the Government of Haiti’s Action Plan for National 
Recovery and Development; 
Whereas, as of January 2013, the United Nations Office of 
the Special Envoy for Haiti estimates that of the recov-
ery and development funds pledged for 2010 through 
2012, approximately 56 percent has been disbursed; and 
Whereas Haiti requires the sustained assistance from the 
United States and the international community in order 
to confront the ongoing cholera epidemic and promote re-
construction and development: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors those who lost their lives due to the 
tragic earthquake of January 12, 2010; 
(2) honors the sacrifice of the men and women 
of the Government of Haiti, the United States Gov-
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ernment, the United Nations, and the international 
community in their response to those affected by the 
calamity; 
(3) expresses continued solidarity with the peo-
ple of Haiti as they work to rebuild their neighbor-
hoods, livelihoods, and country; 
(4) reaffirms its commitment to support Haiti, 
in partnership with the Government of Haiti and in 
coordination with other donors, in long-term recon-
struction; 
(5) supports the efforts of the Administration 
to increase food security in Haiti through sustain-
able agriculture programs, shore up housing initia-
tives for Haiti’s poor and vulnerable, prevent the 
spread of cholera, treat persons who contract the 
disease, provide technical assistance to the Haitian 
Ministry of Public Health, and improve longer-term 
water, sanitation, and health systems; 
(6) urges the President and the international 
community to— 
(A) continue to focus assistance on build-
ing the capacity of Haiti’s public sector to 
sustainably provide basic services to its people; 
(B) develop, improve, and scale-up commu-
nications and participatory mechanisms to more 
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substantially involve Haitian civil society at all 
stages of the post-earthquake responses; and 
(C) give priority to programs that protect 
and involve vulnerable populations, including in-
ternally displaced persons, children, women and 
girls, and persons with disabilities; and 
(7) urges the President to— 
(A) continue to make available to United 
States agencies, nongovernmental organizations, 
private volunteer organizations, regional institu-
tions, and United Nations agencies the re-
sources necessary to confront the consequences 
of the natural disaster; 
(B) support the efforts of the United Na-
tions Secretary-General to secure the necessary 
resources required to fully execute plans to 
eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola 
through enhanced treatment and prevention ef-
forts, and through the development of clean 
water and sanitation infrastructure that is ac-
cessible to all Haitians; 
(C) continue to lead humanitarian and de-
velopment efforts with the Government of Haiti, 
the Haitian Diaspora, and international actors 
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who share in the goal of a better future for 
Haiti; 
(D) maximize responsible local and re-
gional procurement; 
(E) establish improved and transparent 
mechanisms for monitoring the implementation 
of United States Government-funded aid pro-
grams; and 
(F) work with Haitian authorities and pri-
vate landowners to prevent the forced eviction 
of internally displaced person communities and 
provide decent housing for the poorest and most 
vulnerable Haitians. 
Æ 
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