Responding to the Earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria on February 2023
Floor Speech
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor in support of my friend, Congressman Joe Wilson's resolution, H. Res. 132, responding to the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023.
This timely and important resolution comes just weeks after multiple 7.5-plus magnitude earthquakes caused widespread devastation across central-southern Turkiye and northern Syria.
This natural disaster was so powerful that the shaking could be felt as far away as Egypt. The numbers are just staggering. Following the initial shaking, Turkiye and Syria have borne the brunt of over 1,000 aftershocks, furthering the massive death and destruction that has decimated infrastructure and communities across the region. Even today, Mr. Speaker, there was another aftershock with reported loss of death.
As of February 25, 2023, Reuters estimated that 160,000 buildings containing over half a million apartments have collapsed or were severely damaged. The earthquake has killed more than 48,000 people and injured 118,700 others in Turkiye and Syria combined. Today, the U.N. Development Programme estimates that 1.5 million people have been left homeless.
As ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and as an original cosponsor of this resolution, I want to express my deepest condolences to the people of Turkiye and Syria who have been so deeply impacted by these earthquakes. Tens of thousands have lost their lives and even more have been left without a safe place to call home. As a result, once vibrant cities and communities across the entire region have been shattered and left in ruin.
In addition, I want to commend the efforts of thousands of international humanitarian aid and rescue workers, as well as national entities, local organizations, and individuals from across the region who have come together to provide lifesaving assistance to those impacted by this devastating earthquake.
During the past few weeks, these aid workers have provided lifesaving resources and support, all while working in freezing winter conditions, just to get help and relief for this enormous devastation and provide the greatest help to the people who need it the most.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud those humanitarian and rescue workers from across the United States Government who have joined the international community in a global response. In total, as of February 19, 2023, the United States has allocated $185 million in humanitarian assistance for the earthquake response in Turkiye and Syria.
As part of its coordinated response, USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance quickly deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team, also known as a DART, which is working in close coordination with government authorities and partners on the ground.
The DART included USAID-supported search and rescue units have drawn domestic voluntary help, as well. It is important to recognize Fairfax County, Virginia's, and Los Angeles County, California's, fire departments have come to aid and help these people in such great need. They provide heroic assistance in working with USAID. USAID has deployed a total of 160 urban search and rescue personnel to Turkiye who have now returned to the United States. We thank them for volunteering and their heroic acts.
Furthermore, through its implementing partner, the World Food Program, as of February 23, USAID had also supported the provision of food assistance to 660,000 individuals in Syria and 900,000 earthquake- affected people in Turkiye. In addition, 840 metric tons of USAID in- kind relief commodities, including water, hygiene materials, kitchen sets, and disaster relief materials were all delivered to support the earthquake survivors.
Finally, the Department of Defense, in coordination with USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, has air-lifted 541,100 pounds of critical relief items, including blankets, emergency food commodities, generators, space heaters, tents, and winter clothing.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support those efforts and commend President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Administrator Power for their swift response to this disaster.
As the international community has responded, the Assad regime has made that effort far more difficult. For example, while the Department of the Treasury has taken important steps to clarify existing sanctions licenses required to ensure the transfer of vital humanitarian aid to the region, the exploitation of this disaster by the Assad regime is reprehensible and cynical.
I wholeheartedly condemn these efforts by the Assad regime, which have included preventing the United Nations from providing assistance through multiple border crossings between Turkiye and Syria. The people of Syria have suffered tremendously under the Assad regime, which since 2011 has used any means available, including the use of chemical weapons, to suppress the voice of the Syrian people. (1715)
There is intense need for international assistance in Syria, and I support the call in this resolution for the Biden administration to continue to use all diplomatic tools, including through the U.N. Security Council, to open and keep open all Turkiye-Syria border crossings for United Nations assistance.
Despite barriers from the Assad regime, the United Nations has worked tirelessly in coordinating and facilitating life-saving humanitarian assistance efforts by providing hot meals, food, tents, clothing, medical supplies, and personnel to affected areas. Psychosocial support services are also being provided, as well. Child-friendly spaces and safe spaces for women to ensure those most vulnerable are cared for are also in motion there.
U.N. programs like the World Food Programme and the U.N. High Commission for Refugees have also crossed into Syria at the Bab al- Salam border crossing to ensure the people of Syria receive the vital aid that they need.
All together, the United Nations has sent health supplies to more than 400,000 people impacted by the earthquake and has released $50 million from its Central Emergency Response fund to jump-start the response. The U.N. has also issued a flash appeal to raise all the necessary funds to help meet the needs of those affected by these earthquakes.
I, again, thank Congressman Joe Wilson for his efforts on this legislation as well as over 35 bipartisan cosponsors. This resolution sends a strong message of solidarity from the United States to the people of Turkiye and Syria as they begin to cope with the aftermath of these devastating earthquakes, and I am proud to join in supporting this effort.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. It is really refreshing to see Republicans and Democrats come together as we assist the people of Turkiye and Syria. The comments from Bill Keating are inspiring. I am just so grateful that he is one of the first cosponsors of the legislation to show our appreciation of the people of Turkiye and Syria. It is particularly meaningful to me. The loss of life is inconceivable: 50,000 people dead, 100,000 people injured, and 5 million people homeless. Actually, in some ways I can identify. The largest earthquake ever recorded on the East Coast was in my birthplace of Charleston, South Carolina, on October 31, 1886. Growing up there in Charleston, when I was much younger, people had actually a memory of the earthquake. It is something that has been so horrifying, and indeed, we are with the people of Turkiye and Syria.
It is particularly significant to me where America has such a positive role, the thought that an insular care base is 125 miles from the epicenter--how close--and it is significant that the runways were not affected. So from that, the various American military units could work.
We want to give special credit to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron and the 39th Operational Support Squadron who have worked so closely with USAID to provide the massive amounts of aid for the 20 million people who are in need.
So it is refreshing to see Republicans and Democrats working together to see how important it is that the people of Turkiye understand as a NATO member how important they are to the American people.
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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina for his strong bipartisan support in this gathering together of people on both sides of the aisle for America's interest. As he pointed out, we have an interest not only with our own defense facilities not far from that region and not only associating as he has his own experience the devastation of earthquakes, but also a stark contrast that occurs to the people of Syria when they find out the U.S. and other countries are coming together to their aid while the Syrian regime under Assad continues to wreak havoc and damage to the everyday lives of the people of Syria.
Dean), who is a new member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. We all look forward to working together with the gentlewoman.
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Mr. KEATING. Again, I thank Congressman Joe Wilson, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia for his work on this resolution.
It is important to recognize that the U.S. is joining the whole international community, again, at a time of need. It is in our self- interest to move in this respect, too. There are countless aftereffects as well as aftershocks that will come about as a result of this earthquake. We are going to see time and time again swift action and humanitarian action. Action for support will really come back in a very cost effective and humanitarian way to provide dividends moving forward in the future.
That being said, too, our NATO ally, Turkiye, is suffering a great deal. We want to demonstrate not just through NATO and other alliances that we are there for the Turkish people as well who have often come to our aid in areas of critical security needs.
The people of Turkiye and Syria have suffered tremendously as a result of these earthquakes and thousands of the aftershocks.
I support this resolution to signal globally that the United States stands with the people of Turkiye and Syria and the United States will continue to support any and all humanitarian efforts to bring aid and assistance to the victims of these disasters. I hope, Mr. Speaker, that all our colleagues join together in this bipartisan effort to support this important resolution.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the broad coalition of Members on both sides of the aisle with the leadership of Congressman Bill Keating who have come together to support this critical resolution.
I especially want to thank Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Leader Steve Scalise for their accelerating the scheduling of this for today. It is so important for the people of Turkiye and Syria to know of our affection for them.
The people of the United States stand with the suffering people of Turkiye and Syria who have been so impacted by this terrible natural disaster.
Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 132 is an important statement of human solidarity. It deserves our unanimous support, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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