Title: Lauding Virgin Islanders for their perseverance, grit, and tenacity through major disasters attributable to Hurricanes Irma and Maria and Members of Congress for their support in accruing funding to support the Virgin Islands of the United States through these disasters.
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
This resolution lauds the citizens of the U.S. Virgin Islands for their perseverance, grit, and tenacity through major disasters attributable to Hurricanes Irma and Maria and Members of Congress for their support in obtaining funding for the Virgin Islands through such disasters.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1337 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1337

  Lauding Virgin Islanders for their perseverance, grit, and tenacity 
 through major disasters attributable to Hurricanes Irma and Maria and 
 Members of Congress for their support in accruing funding to support 
    the Virgin Islands of the United States through these disasters.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 9, 2022

Ms. Plaskett submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
           the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Lauding Virgin Islanders for their perseverance, grit, and tenacity 
 through major disasters attributable to Hurricanes Irma and Maria and 
 Members of Congress for their support in accruing funding to support 
    the Virgin Islands of the United States through these disasters.

Whereas Hurricanes Irma and Maria, both Category 5 storms with wind gusts of up 
        to 178 miles per hour at their centers, impacted the Virgin Islands of 
        the United States within two weeks of each other on September 6 and 
        September 20, 2017, and caused significant destruction to roofs, 
        structures, foliage, and aerial power and phone lines leading to 
        territorywide communications and power blackouts;
Whereas the sweeping destruction to homes and public facilities including 
        hospitals, schools, fire stations, utilities, and ports on St. Thomas, 
        St. Croix, and St. John effectively stranded the entire population for 
        weeks, leading to Virgin Islanders running boats between the islands of 
        the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to assist with transportation of 
        people and goods;
Whereas Virgin Islanders became heroes delivering food and medical supplies 
        while also leading cleanup initiatives, and remained strong in the face 
        of the daunting task of rebuilding their lives;
Whereas Members of Congress, including leadership and committee chairs, came in 
        large numbers to the Virgin Islands to provide insight and support to 
        the local government and people of the territory;
Whereas the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
        (``the Stafford Act'') provides disaster assistance to States, Tribes, 
        local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, and also 
        declares a State to include the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands; and
Whereas Members of Congress have shown enormous support and willingness to 
        ensure that the people of the Virgin Islands receive the necessary 
        funding provided through Acts of Congress and support through the 
        Stafford Act to facilitate and expand the scope of recovery: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) lauds Virgin Islanders for their perseverance, grit, 
        and tenacity through major disasters attributable to Hurricanes 
        Irma and Maria upon the 5-year anniversary of these disasters, 
        and Members of Congress for their support in accruing funding 
        to support the Virgin Islands through these disasters;
            (2) has heard with gratitude of the acts of pride and care 
        exhibited by the people of the Virgin Islands during these 
        disasters and throughout the ongoing recovery from these 
        disasters; and
            (3) affirms its commitment to support the people of the 
        Virgin Islands as they continue to strive for a full and 
        resilient recovery from these disasters.
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