Mourning The Loss Of Life On American Samoa And Samoa After The Earthquakes And Tsunamis On September 29, 2009

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Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as my friend from American Samoa said, a terrible tragedy occurred on September 29, 2009, in the South Pacific. American Samoa and Samoa were struck by separate tsunami waves which devastated numerous communities on each of the islands. We offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to the many victims in the region.

The outreach of support and humanitarian efforts to assist each of the islands in their recovery efforts has to be commended. Federal agencies, military services, foreign governments, relief organizations, and private citizens have all reached out to assist these island nations.

These islands face months, if not years, of recovery actions. They will depend on Congress and the continued efforts of the Federal Government, relief organizations, and private citizens to recover.

I urge all of us to be steadfast in our support for the communities on American Samoa and Samoa and assist them to recover from this terrible event.

Finally, I would like to commend and extend my best wishes to our friend and colleague, Eni Faleomavaega, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of his constituents to meet the needs of his constituents who have suffered much during this very, very difficult period.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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