[BwayDems] Rangel Statement on Haiti Earthquake and Federal Response

[Solano, Socrates]

Please distribute to your networks..

PRESS RELEASE

CONGRESSMAN CHARLES RANGEL

Contact: Emile Milne/Robin M. Peguero 202 225-4365      January 13, 2010

               Elbert Garcia 212 663-3900

 

RANGEL ON HAITI EARTHQUAKE: WE ARE READY TO EXTEND A HELPING HAND AND SYMPATHETIC HEART

 

Congressman Charles B. Rangel released the following statement regarding yesterday's earthquake in Haiti:

 

"As a longtime friend to the country of Haiti, it is with a heavy heart that I send out my prayers to the Haitian people after a disastrous earthquake hit the island Tuesday. The images are startling and sobering − a dramatic reminder of the need to pledge aid to a country that has not even completely recovered from the four storms that ravaged it from August to September 2008.

 

"Thankfully, the cries of our struggling neighbors have not gone unheard. In less than 24 hours, we have seen Americans from a cross section of society -- from elected officials in Washington to everyday residents all over New York City -- reach out and offer assistance. 

 

"The Obama Administration for its part has pledged its full support for rescue and humanitarian assistance. I would also like to applaud the Department of Homeland Security for temporarily halting deportations and removal proceeding to the island. I stand with other members of Congress in requesting that, in light of this natural disaster, Temporary Protection Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) be granted for Haitians already living in the United States. To send an additional 30,000 people back to a country that will have millions of displaced individuals at this time would be both ill-advised and unkind.

 

"I look forward to working with the various coalitions assembled from the private and public sector to ensure that medical assistance gets to the island and that local search-and-rescue teams are deployed as soon as possible. 

 

"My wife, Alma, and I will continue praying for the people of Haiti and do whatever we can to support the relief efforts. We know our community has demonstrated a remarkable spirit of generosity, particularly towards the long-suffering nation of Haiti, and that will no doubt continue.

 

"We all stand with Haitians here and abroad in this time of trouble and stand ready with sympathetic hearts to extend a helping hand."

 

# # #  

 

 

 

 Federal Response 

• The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has dispatched its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and has activated its partners, the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team. The USAR teams will be composed of up to 72 personnel, 6 search and rescue canines and up to 48 tons of rescue equipment. 

• The USAR team will be accompanied by USAID disaster experts who will assist with assessments of the situation. 

• At this point the Administration is urging CASH donation. Please visit USAID.GOV for more information. 

• U.S. Amb. to Haiti Kenneth Marten has been in touch with President Rene Preval, he has requested communication support. 

• Defense Department officials are coordinating with their State Department counterparts to provide life‐saving assistance in Haiti as quickly as possible. Southern Command officials said they will deploy a team of 30 people to Haiti today including military engineers, operational planners, and a command and control group and communication specialists, on two C‐130 Hercules aircraft. The team will work with U.S. Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, United Nations and other officials to assess the situation to provide follow on support. 

• The Navy’s P‐3 Orions made initial overflight assessments of damage on the ground, President Barack Obama announced this morning, and U.S. and rescue teams arriving in Haiti will use the information to plan their response. 

• The U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are leading DHS actions to support the larger assistance effort. Several Coast Guard cutters and aircraft have mobilized and are on the ground to assist the humanitarian effort as needed. 

 Socrates S. Solano 

Community Representative

Congressman Charles B. Rangel

Chairman, Committee on Ways & Means

United States House of Representatives

Office 212.663.3900 Fax 212.663.4277  Web  http://rangel.house.gov <http://rangel.house.gov/> 

 * Sign-up here <http://rangel.house.gov/newsletter.html>  to receive our e-mail updates via the 'Rangel Report.'

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

 

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

—John Quincy Adams

 

 

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://eight.pairlist.net/mailman/private/bwdupdates/attachments/20100113/393e07c0/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 6561 bytes
Desc: image002.jpg
Url : <http://eight.pairlist.net/mailman/private/bwdupdates/attachments/20100113/393e07c0/attachment-0001.jpe>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/png
Size: 45529 bytes
Desc: image001.png
Url : <http://eight.pairlist.net/mailman/private/bwdupdates/attachments/20100113/393e07c0/attachment-0001.png>