Commending The U.S. Navy For Its Work In Haiti
Floor Speech
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Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I strongly support H. Res. 1048, a resolution commending the efforts and honoring the work of the men and women of USNS Comfort and the United States Navy in response to those affected by the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. I would also like to thank Representative TIM MURPHY for introducing this piece of legislation.
Before the earthquake hit Haiti, the country was already in recovery from a string of hurricanes and tropical storms, food shortages and rising commodity prices, and political instability. These problems were compounded when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the country of Haiti, erasing any recovery efforts done prior to this catastrophe.
Estimated casualties were reported to be over 150,000 and Haiti withstood millions in damages to the country's infrastructure. It has been reported that 3,000,000 of Haiti's population were directly affected by the disaster, and as a result, one third of the existing population is displaced.
Immediately following this tragedy, President Barack Obama vowed the ``unwavering support'' of the United States and pledged a ``swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives and support the recovery in Haiti.'' Days after the earthquake, the United States Navy responded to President Obama's request and delivered aid. The crew of the USNS Comfort provided 24-hour service to hundreds of critically ill men, women and children patients. Our Navy medical personnel on USNS Comfort saved the lives of 98 percent of the ship's patient population, which holds a capacity of 1,000 patients, and successfully performed 100 surgeries as of January 24, 2010.
Due to the limited resources for critically ill patients, the USNS Comfort medical staff often find themselves making grave decisions in terms of the use of their existing resources. President Obama's pledged support of $100 million in humanitarian aid will go a long way toward supporting their efforts.
I commit my full support to H. Res 1048 and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this piece of legislation.
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