Date: 2010-02-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise in support of H. Res. 1066to honor the extreme bravery. responsiveness and effectiveness demonstrated by our United States Armed Services. local first responders and other members in support of Operation Unified Response led by USAID. As you know. on Tuesday. January 12. a massive. 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of PortauPrince. There is still no official estimate of death or destruction but the damage to buildings is extensive and the number of injured or dead is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Within hours of the earthquake. the United States sent worldclass teams of first responders and search and rescue teams to help search for survivors. These teams. from all across the country. comprised roughly onethird of the entire international search and rescue effort in Haiti. In total. the United States sent over 511 rescue workers. These rescue workers worked tirelessly to search for survivors. and found and rescued more than 130 people from under the rubble. Without these search and rescue units. it is possible that these people would not have been located in time to save their lives. In the following days. U.S. Southern Command deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to support U.S. relief efforts in the aftermath of one of the largest natural disasters in the western hemisphere. The team included U.S. Coast Guard. U.S. military engineers. operational planners. and a command and control group and communication specialists arriving on two C130 Hercules aircraft. Shortly thereafter. U.S. Southern Command had established Joint Task ForceHaiti to oversee U.S. military relief efforts in which was commanded by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ken Keen. From the initial response forward more than 13.000 U.S. military personnel. 19 ships and more than 60 aircraft are supporting operations to provide relief and care to more than three million Haitians who were affected by the January 12 earthquake. U.S. military forces are currently supporting efforts to provide shelter. establish settlements. and conduct debris removal as well as ensuring the delivery of aid to the Haitian people. They are also assisting the World Food Programs food distribution surge while continuing to work with the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti. MINUSTAH. the international community and local responders to alleviate human suffering and support humanitarian relief efforts. The hospital ship USNS Comfort. embarked with nearly 1.000 medical personnel. is treating a steady stream of Haitian patients. Comforts hospital capabilities include fullyequipped operating rooms. digital radiological services. a medical laboratory. a pharmacy. an optometry lab. a CATscan and two oxygenproducing plants. Comforts bed capacity is about 1.000. Members supporting Operation Unified Response are also helping move thousands of pounds of medical aid to various distribution points and are working with local officials to address longterm rehabilitation of the Haitian public health system. As of February 21 the incredible members of Operation Unified Response had delivered more than 2.6 million bottles of water. 2.2 million food rations. 17 million pounds of bulk food and 147.000 pounds of medical supplies into Haiti. Additionally. water production continues as U.S. military and international water purification units produce thousands of gallons of drinkable water daily. I would like to personally thank the professional team of Sailor. Soldiers. Airmen. Marines and Coast Guardsmen of U.S. Southern Command for their role in providing guidance and securing passage for a Texasbased initial response medical team. These military professionals played a key role in arranging for the doctors and medical personnel from the Forest Park Medical Center to obtain the necessary clearance from the State and Defense Departments to fly jets carrying supplies. seven doctors. six nurses. two techs. and two search and rescue volunteers to Haiti. The medical team. led by Dr. Richard Toussaint. flew from Dallas Love Field Airport and arrived in Haiti where they treated about 600 patients. including 70 amputations. and 150 surgeries. The team also provided medical and supplies to Haitis Hospital Sacre Coeur. America is committed to deliver her support to our neighbor who is still in dire need of our continued and immediate humanitarian assistance. This effort will be a monumental task that will take years to complete but we must be resolute to help the people of this struggling island nation rebuild their livelihoods. To date the United States Government has contributed over $400 million in earthquake response funding for Haiti. It has also deployed approximately 19.000 military personnel in support of the relief effort. Subsequently. as part of the new Government of Haitilead effort. the U.N. World Food Program will provide commodities. nongovernmental organizations will manage distributions. and U.S. military will provide security escorts. America and her allies have delivered a comprehensive. interagency response to the earthquake. The State Department. Department of Defense. Department of Homeland Security. Coast Guard. USAIDall worked vigorously to ensure critical resources were positioned to support the response and recovery effort. including efforts to find and assist American citizens in Haiti. Once again I am proud of our Armed Services. the first responders and all the members of Operation Unified Relief that deliver an overwhelming successful initial response. We all owe you a debt of gratitude and our undying support.