{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362668", "Smith Leads Bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Philippines", "2013-11-22", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) is expected to arrive in the Philippines Saturday leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to the region devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The former U.S. territory, and one of the U.S.\u2019s closet allies in the Far East, suffered a direct hit by one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in history on November 8. More than 4,000 people were killed and many more thousands were injured. Basic\u00a0necessities, including food, clean water, housing\u00a0and sanitation,\u00a0have to be provided to thousands\u00a0of the\u00a0estimated 4.4 million people\u00a0who have been\u00a0displaced. The food supply has been\u00a0hit hard\u00a0with the typhoon damaging over 375,000 acres of local agriculture, including staples like rice, corn, and other vegetables. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that one million farmers and fishermen have lost their livelihoods, no longer able to contribute to the food supply. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith noted that the U.N. has called for $301 million in worldwide humanitarian aid and the U.S. is among the donor nations offering assistance, \u201cThe U.S. government has spent or pledged almost $50 million to help.\u00a0 Emergency shelter, food, water and medicine are being shipped in to meet the needs of the victims, many of whom have immediate relatives in the United States.\u00a0 As was the case after the devastating 2004 tsunami,\u00a0 America has deployed an aircraft carrier\u2014this time the USS George Washington\u2014and other military assets to provide emergency assistance.\" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHowever, there are two post-storm dangers that must receive immediate attention as well: the threat of epidemics and rising levels of human trafficking,\u201d added Smith, who serves as the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees global health and is the author of our nation\u2019s landmark anti-human trafficking legislation, the Trafficking Victim\u2019s Protection Act. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"The Philippines is a known source country for trafficking victims who are fooled by promises of careers in other countries. Now there is great concern\u00a0for the protection of adolescent girls from scurrilous sex traffickers who will use the crisis to exploit these young women.\u00a0 There is an added threat of a climbing death count attributed to typhoid and cholera and other diseases that manifest after the fact,\u201d said Smith. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"I\u2019m hoping that those displaced by the storm will be\u00a0properly protected from the epidemics that could ensue in the days and weeks that follow such a devastating natural disaster. Epidemics are likely due to contaminated water systems and the breakdown of medical services.\" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith has\u00a0a working knowledge of on-the-ground disaster relief and response operations domestically and around the world\u2014including during the 2004 Tsunami and most recently in New Jersey when parts of\u00a0 his congressional district were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Commenting on the value of\u00a0boots-on-the-ground\u00a0Smith said, \u201cYou listen to the victims and talk directly to the people who are leading the humanitarian response efforts so you can see where there is an unmet need and how federal resources can help.\" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWith overseas disasters it\u2019s further complicated by the greater potential for deadly or debilitating diseases\u00a0including cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, and polio that often arise, adding to the suffering and to numbers of lives lost. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCrowded or unsanitary living conditions contribute to the kind of water contamination that breeds epidemics. The utter devastation of more than 707,000 houses by this mega storm has created a crisis of enormous size with a dangerous potential for outbreaks of disease not seen in recent times.\" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A significant part of the trip will be time spent at emergency humanitarian staging areas of Catholic Relief Services, World Vision and other relief agencies that work out the logistics of delivering food, clothing and other essentials to those who need it the most. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCatholic Relief Services alone has committed $20 million to \u2018assist people\u2019s immediate needs for survival, and their long term support for full recovery,\u2019\u201d Smith noted.\u00a0 \u201cLast week Catholic churches throughout New Jersey and the entire United States collected funds to aid the victims. The coordination of\u00a0faith-based and other charitable contributions with federal resources will help ensure the best results\u00a0for those most affected by this\u00a0devastation.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Joining Smith on the trip are Reps. Al Green (D-TX-09), and Trent Franks (R-AZ-08). Smith is a 33-year member of the House, and a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe will meet with\u00a0government officials, church representatives and leaders of numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who are delivering aid and working to ensure the protection of children who have become separated from their families to learn what is working and what still needs to be done, \" Smith said. \u201cUpon return, I plan on chairing a hearing in early December to report on our findings and to hear from experts on next steps.\u201d\u00a0\n ###\u00a0\nAdded historical note: The United States has deployed the USS George Washington aircraft carrier to the archipelago near the Leyte region, an area close to the location\u00a0where\u00a0U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces landed on Oct. 20, 1944. In one of the Allies\u2019 most storied victories of World War II, MacArthur fulfilled his famed vow \"I shall return,\" more than two years\u00a0after he had been forced to leave the Philippines to avoid capture by Japanese invasion forces.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362668"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8485650178045034, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}