,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #djh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #ac1 #bjac,ms4 ,speier 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,honda1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,ms4 ,bordallo1 ,ms4 ,moore1 ,ms4 ,hahn1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,sherman1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4 ,grayson1 ,mr4 ,larson of ,connecticut1 ,mr4 ,mc,intyre1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,california1 ,ms4 ,meng1 ,ms4 ,chu1 and ,mr4 ,pascrell7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,expressing sincere condolences and support for assistance to the people of the ,philippines and all those affected by the tragic ,super ,typhoon ,haiyan 7,yolanda7 of ,november #h1 #bjac4 ,whereas1 on ,november #h1 #bjac1 ,super ,typhoon ,haiyan 7local name ,yolanda7 made landfall and hit the eastern seaboard of the ,philippine archipelago2 ,whereas the typhoon brought sustained winds of #adg miles per hour1 gusts of #agj to #aij miles per hour1 waves as high as #de feet1 and up to #ae4ge inches of rain in some places1 making it the year's strongest storm1 and potentially the strongest typhoon ever recorded at landfall2 ,whereas approximately #g million ,filipinos have been affected by the typhoon and nearly #ehb1jjj people were forced from and evacuated their homes1 according to the ,national ,disaster ,risk ,reduction and ,management ,council of the ,philippines2 ,whereas among the hardest hit was the coastal city of ,tacloban on the island of ,leyte1 which #gj years ago was the first town to be liberated by ,general ,douglas ,mac,arthur from the ,imperial ,japanese occupation2 ,whereas ,tacloban was almost completely submerged by waves of up to #dj feet1 with #gj to #hj percent of the city's structures now destroyed1 according to ,elmer ,soria1 the chief superintendent and regional police director2 ,whereas1 as of ,november #ab1 the typhoon was responsible for nearly #a1hjj deaths1 and the estimates of the total death toll in ,tacloban alone could climb as high as #aj1jjj2 ,whereas the ,united ,nation's ,children ,fund estimates that #a4g million children lived in the pathway of the typhoon2 ,whereas in the wake of a natural disasters and the subsequent breakdown of protective societal norms1 the vulnerabilities of women and girls are more acute2 ,whereas the schools and gymnasiums and other sites that were designated as evacuation centers failed to hold up against the winds1 as roofs ripped off1 windows shattered1 and ceilings caved in1 according to ,lynette ,lim1 spokeswoman for ,save the ,children2 ,whereas videos and aerial surveillance show vast stretches of land flattened and decimated2 ,whereas initial reports say that most of the deaths were from drowning or collapsed buildings and that many communities are now without access to communication1 water1 food1 and aid2 ,whereas1 by ,november #aj1 ,president ,benigno ,s4 ,aquino ,,iii of the ,philippines declared a state of calamity2 ,whereas ,interior ,secretary ,roxas of the ,philippines said that the impact of the typhoon was like a tsunami hit1 because moving from the shore to one kilometer inland there are no structures standing2 ,whereas ,sebastian ,rhodes ,stampa1 head of a ,united ,nations disaster assessment coordination team1 said that there was destruction on a massive scale in ,tacloban1 where there are cars thrown like tumbleweed1 and that the last time ,i saw something of this scale was in the aftermath of the #bjjd ,indian ,ocean tsunami2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,world ,food ,program 7,,wfp7 estimates that nearly #b4e million people will require immediate food assistance in the aftermath of the typhoon2 ,whereas the global community1 including governments1 organizations1 and private relief groups1 has speedily and compassionately rallied to assist the ,government of the ,philippines in providing food1 aid1 shelter1 monetary donations1 and logistical support2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government's military and civilian aid was dispatched immediately following a request for international assistance by the ,philippine ,government2 ,whereas the ,department of ,defense has directed the ,pacific ,command to support the ,united ,states ,government humanitarian relief operations in the ,philippines in the wake of the typhoon2 ,whereas the first wave of the ,united ,states military force1 a team of #ij ,marines and sailors1 flew to the ,philippines on ,sunday1 ,november #aa1 to assist with search and rescue operations and provide air support2 ,whereas1 by ,november #ad1 #b1jjj ,united ,states servicemembers will have arrived in the ,philippines on the ,,uss ,,george ,,washington2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government is providing #bj million in immediate humanitarian assistance1 including the provision of emergency shelter1 food assistance1 relief commodities1 and water1 sanitation1 and hygiene support2 ,whereas the ,office of ,u4,s4 ,foreign ,disaster ,assistance of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development activated a ,disaster ,assistance ,response ,team to conduct initial damage assessment in affected areas1 liaise with other humanitarian and government actors in the country1 and recommend appropriate response options2 ,whereas the ,filipino-,american community is the second largest ,asian-,american and ,pacific ,islander ethnic group in the ,united ,states1 with a population of approximately #c4d million2 ,whereas ,filipino-,americans across the ,nation immediately mobilized to establish disaster relief funds for those in their homeland2 ,whereas the ,national ,alliance for ,filipino ,concerns is appealing to increase donations for its ,bayanihan ,relief and ,rehabilitation ,campaign to assist the impacted areas in the ,philippines2 ,whereas in #aida1 more than #bej1jjj ,filipino soldiers responded to ,president ,roosevelt's call to arms and fought under the ,american flag during ,world ,war ,,ii and made the ultimate sacrifice1 and many of these ,filipino veterans have become proud ,united ,states citizens2 and ,whereas ,president ,barack ,obama affirmed the support and assistance of the ,united ,states to the ,philippine people1 as well as the spirit of ,bayanihan1 and declared that the ,united ,states is already providing significant humanitarian assistance1 and we stand ready to further assist the ,government's relief and recovery efforts3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 mourns with the people of the ,philippines and all of the countries affected by the horrific loss of life caused by the tragic ,super ,typhoon ,haiyan 7,yolanda71 which struck the ,philippines on ,november #h1 #bjac2 7#b7 expresses its deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of this tragedy2 7#c7 applauds the prompt commitments of support and humanitarian efforts already underway by the international community1 relief agencies1 and private citizens2 7#d7 commends the ,united ,states ,government for providing #bj million of immediate humanitarian assistance2 7#e7 reaffirms the longstanding friendship shared between the ,united ,states and the ,philippines2 7#f7 pledges its full support and solidarity with the people of the ,philippines and all others affected by this tragedy as they struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of this disaster2 7#g7 urges the ,united ,states ,government to continue to provide assistance to the ,philippines during its recovery and reconstruction efforts2 7#h7 urges the ,united ,states ,government to coordinate with the international community and humanitarian agents in prioritizing the protection of women and girls in the aftermath of this disaster2 and 7#i7 urges the ,united ,states ,government to continue working closely with the ,philippines to strengthen disaster risk reduction and mitigation strategies at the local and national levels4