1. This document relates to another recent international tragedy and about how the The tsunami tragedy: how the U.S. is responding and providing relief: briefing United States. Congress. House. Committee on International Relations. ISBN: 0160746426 Report number: Serial no. 109-7 (United States. Congress. House. Committee Organization: United States. Congress. House. Committee on International Title: The tsunami tragedy: how the U.S. is responding and Electronic version: [Link] Imprint: Washington: U.S. G.P.O.: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. CONTENTS The Honorable James A. Leach, A Representative in Congress from the The Honorable Earl Blumenauer, a Representative in Congress from the The Honorable Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, U.S. Agency for Inter- The Honorable Alan P. Larson, Under Secretary for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State The Honorable Peter W. Rodman, Assistant Secretary, International Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense Brigadier General John Allen, Principal Director for Asian and Pacific Affairs, Dr. Richard Brennan, Director of Health Programs, International Rescue Ms. Afshan Khan, Deputy Director of Emergency Operations, United States Fund for UNICEF, Public Policy and Advocacy LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD The Honorable Henry J. Hyde, a Representative in Congress from the State of Illinois, and Chairman, Committee on International Relations: Prepared The Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey and Vice Chairman, Committee on International The Honorable Earl Blumenauer: Prepared statement 13 19 28 Responses to questions submitted for the record by the Honorable Earl Blumenauer, a Representative in Congress from the State of Oregon THE TSUNAMI TRAGEDY: HOW THE U.S. IS RESPONDING AND PROVIDING RELIEF THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2005 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 1:40, p.m., in room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Henry J. Hyde (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. Chairman HYDE. The Committee will come to order. We have some new Members of the Committee; however, there are others who could not be present and we shall more formally introduce them at our next meeting. Well, good afternoon, and welcome to the briefing of the Committee on International Relations. On December 26th, a massive earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia launched a wall of water in all directions. The geography of the destruction is staggering, from the near epicenter of Indonesia to Sri Lanka and India, to Thailand and Malaysia, to the Island of Maldives to the Seychelles and across the expanse of the Indian Ocean to the eastern coast of Africa. The scale of human loss is devastating. We have all experienced the shock of seeing the video footage of the rush of ocean with bodies and debris flowing down the streets of coastal villages or of hearing accounts of waves pulling children from the desperate grasp of their parents. The latest numbers indicate that over 200,000 people have been reported dead, with over 26,000 missing and over 1 million displaced or otherwise in need. The suddenness and the magnitude of this disaster should remind all of us of the fragility of human life in the face of nature's awesome power. The tremendous response from around the world to this crisis, however, should also remind us of the compassion and the humanity of those who rushed to help those in great need. My fear is that the world's attention will soon shift to some other big news item, some other catastrophe, and with it the window of compassion and assistance will grow smaller. We must understand that many, many needs will remain when the cameras are turned off. My hope is that our commitment and dedication will remain steadfast, and we will maintain our focus on the difficult and arduous task of helping victims reconstruct their lives and their livelihoods. The Committee commends President Bush with a pledge of $350 million in emergency aid, and commends the urgent and ongoing efforts of U.S. relief workers on the ground. Of this amount, USAID (1) |