Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) is expected to arrive in the Philippines Saturday leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to the region devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan.

    The former U.S. territory, and one of the U.S.’s closet allies in the Far East, suffered a direct hit by one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in history on November 8. More than 4,000 people were killed and many more thousands were injured. Basic necessities, including food, clean water, housing and sanitation, have to be provided to thousands of the estimated 4.4 million people who have been displaced. The food supply has been hit hard with the typhoon damaging over 375,000 acres of local agriculture, including staples like rice, corn, and other vegetables. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that one million farmers and fishermen have lost their livelihoods, no longer able to contribute to the food supply.

    Smith noted that the U.N. has called for $301 million in worldwide humanitarian aid and the U.S. is among the donor nations offering assistance, “The U.S. government has spent or pledged almost $50 million to help.  Emergency shelter, food, water and medicine are being shipped in to meet the needs of the victims, many of whom have immediate relatives in the United States.  As was the case after the devastating 2004 tsunami,  America has deployed an aircraft carrier—this time the USS George Washington—and other military assets to provide emergency assistance."

    “However, there are two post-storm dangers that must receive immediate attention as well: the threat of epidemics and rising levels of human trafficking,” added Smith, who serves as the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees global health and is the author of our nation’s landmark anti-human trafficking legislation, the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act.

    "The Philippines is a known source country for trafficking victims who are fooled by promises of careers in other countries. Now there is great concern for the protection of adolescent girls from scurrilous sex traffickers who will use the crisis to exploit these young women.  There is an added threat of a climbing death count attributed to typhoid and cholera and other diseases that manifest after the fact,” said Smith.

    "I’m hoping that those displaced by the storm will be properly protected from the epidemics that could ensue in the days and weeks that follow such a devastating natural disaster. Epidemics are likely due to contaminated water systems and the breakdown of medical services."

    Smith has a working knowledge of on-the-ground disaster relief and response operations domestically and around the world—including during the 2004 Tsunami and most recently in New Jersey when parts of  his congressional district were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

    Commenting on the value of boots-on-the-ground Smith said, “You listen to the victims and talk directly to the people who are leading the humanitarian response efforts so you can see where there is an unmet need and how federal resources can help."

    “With overseas disasters it’s further complicated by the greater potential for deadly or debilitating diseases including cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, and polio that often arise, adding to the suffering and to numbers of lives lost.

    “Crowded or unsanitary living conditions contribute to the kind of water contamination that breeds epidemics. The utter devastation of more than 707,000 houses by this mega storm has created a crisis of enormous size with a dangerous potential for outbreaks of disease not seen in recent times."

    A significant part of the trip will be time spent at emergency humanitarian staging areas of Catholic Relief Services, World Vision and other relief agencies that work out the logistics of delivering food, clothing and other essentials to those who need it the most.

    “Catholic Relief Services alone has committed $20 million to ‘assist people’s immediate needs for survival, and their long term support for full recovery,’” Smith noted.  “Last week Catholic churches throughout New Jersey and the entire United States collected funds to aid the victims. The coordination of faith-based and other charitable contributions with federal resources will help ensure the best results for those most affected by this devastation.” 

    Joining Smith on the trip are Reps. Al Green (D-TX-09), and Trent Franks (R-AZ-08). Smith is a 33-year member of the House, and a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

    “We will meet with government officials, church representatives and leaders of numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who are delivering aid and working to ensure the protection of children who have become separated from their families to learn what is working and what still needs to be done, " Smith said. “Upon return, I plan on chairing a hearing in early December to report on our findings and to hear from experts on next steps.” 

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Added historical note: The United States has deployed the USS George Washington aircraft carrier to the archipelago near the Leyte region, an area close to the location where U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces landed on Oct. 20, 1944. In one of the Allies’ most storied victories of World War II, MacArthur fulfilled his famed vow "I shall return," more than two years after he had been forced to leave the Philippines to avoid capture by Japanese invasion forces.