The typhoon-ravaged Philippines, the findings of the bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) led by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) to the Philippines from Nov. 22-26, and the responses of U.S. government and international aid organizations were the focus of a hearing on Tuesday before the House global health panel chaired by Smith.
Super-typhoon Haiyan made its first landfall November 8th with wind speeds of 195 mph, making it the strongest storm in history at the time of landfall. An estimated 13.2 million Filipinos have been affected by the catastrophic storm that claimed thousands of lives and leveled homes, towns and entire cities, and 3.4 million people who lived directly in the typhoon’s path are now internally displaced.
“I led a congressional delegation to the Philippines to witness the devastation unleashed by Typhoon Haiyan—known locally as Typhoon Yolanda—and to gain a better understanding of the unmet needs going forward,” said Smith, Chairman of the global health subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee. “I met with numerous survivors who told us heartbreaking stories yet radiated a calm and inner peace. One man told us how his father drowned only a few feet from where we stood and how he had stoically carried many waterlogged dead bodies to a mass grave. He said he nearly collapsed emotionally, however, when he carried the lifeless body of a three year-old girl. He said he just broke down, overwhelmed, and felt he could continue no more. Yet amazingly, a few hours later, there he was—determined to rebuild and overcome and full of faith in God. ”
Smith summed up the morale of the survivors by employing the words of by Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu who said, “the Typhoon was the strongest in the world…but our faith in the Lord is even stronger…no calamity or natural devastation can quench the fire of our hope. The Filipino soul is stronger than Yolanda.” Click here to read Smith’s opening remarks. Click here or on image below to view video of statement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA195quM2ps&feature=player_embedded
On the CODEL, Smith was joined by Reps. Trent Franks (AZ-08) and Al Green (TX-09). They met with U.S. military personnel, U.S. government aid leaders, and non-government organizations on the ground.
“The Philippines is a major American ally and trading partner. There are an estimated 350,000 Americans living in the Philippines, and 4 million Filipinos living in the United States. We have an important stake in seeing that our friends and neighbors in the Philippines can recover from this devastating storm,” Smith said.
Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator from Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), was the lead witness.
“Thank you also for your continued support for our humanitarian programs around the world, which make a positive difference every day in the lives of millions,” Lindborg said. “I’d also like to especially thank Chairman Smith for leading a Congressional Delegation to visit our response efforts in the Philippines firsthand.
“I traveled to the Philippines one week after the storm made landfall. During my visit, I saw staggering devastation, but I also saw the kind of hope and humanity that somehow manages to surface in times of crisis,” Lindborg said. “And I saw a comprehensive relief effort in full swing. I arrived on day eight, on a U.S. military C-130 carrying life-saving supplies that were then dispatched from the Tacloban Airport to surrounding areas and loaded on U.S. military Osprey and Black Hawk helicopters to reach locations further afield.”
Sean Callahan, Chief Operating Officer for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) testified that the CRS presence in the Philippines is its oldest continuously operating country program, prompted by the mass destruction and loss of life in the Philippines during World War II. More recently it responded to the earthquake in the Bohol province in October 2013.
“Our assessment found that people’s most urgent needs included shelter, water, hygiene and sanitation, and food, “Callahan said. “As we meet these needs, large amounts of debris still keep families from returning to their homes, and pose public health threats if not addressed soon.”
Chris Palusky, Senior Director, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs at World Vision, thanked Smith for holding the hearing.
“For years you have worked tirelessly on behalf of vulnerable people around the world, especially children,” Palusky said. “You have led important legislation aimed at protecting children in the United States and around the world, prioritizing initiatives designed to strengthen child protection systems. An essential element has been recognizing that children caught up in emergencies are significantly less vulnerable when responses strive to rebuild the informal and formal systems meant to protect children and their families. Congressional oversight can help strengthen the efforts of the U.S. Government and humanitarian community and Congressional engagement. This hearing offers a timely opportunity to examine how efforts to date address the needs and aspirations of the disaster-affected families in the post-typhoon context.”
Click here to read their testimonies or watch the hearing. Click here to watch the CSPAN library video.
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