{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=362842", "Smith Congressional Delegation Meets with Victims of Typhoon, Filipino Gov't", "2013-11-25", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and his bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) traveled to the region devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan, locally called Typhoon Yolanda, meeting with victims of the typhoon, emergency workers and U.S. and Filipino government officials. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s mind numbing and heart numbing,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI\u2019ve been to many places around the world when there have been catastrophic typhoons hurricanes, earthquakes and even more. It is powerful to witness the Filipino people\u2019s resiliency in the face of devastation, in the face the loss of life.\u201d\u00a0\n Smith, who is joined on the trip by Reps. Al Green (D-TX-09), and Trent Franks (R-AZ-08), saw for himself the typhoon's devastation in Tacloban City and surrounding areas in Leyte.\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Upon arrival, the Smith delegation met with Filipino Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario. Smith expressed to him that the U.S would continue working with his government to bring life-saving supplies. The American and Filipino peoples have had an enormous bond for \u201cwell over a century,\" Smith said.\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith and the delegation toured much of the devastation and at some staging areas assisted in handing out clean water kits and other basic supplies to help mitigate the spread of water borne diseases. \n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s all about generosity,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe saw with Superstorm Sandy in my own state the devastation and the U.S. government\u2014federal government\u2014had our back because we needed it. Friends here in the Philippines, they have to know that we have their backs and I think that\u2019s what USAID is doing, CRS (Catholic Relief Services) and the other NGOs (non-government organizations) so that\u2019s the message I take away from here.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At one point, the U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules the Smith CODEL was traveling in was diverted en route to pick up two survivors of a helicopter crash into Manila Bay. The C-130 crew, from Villamor Air Base, located the two passengers of the helicopter floating on the water and dropped flotation devices for\u00a0 them. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI am extremely impressed with U.S. servicemembers performing such critical humanitarian work,\u201d said Smith, who also had praise for the U.S. civilian workers.  \n\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cUSAID is doing a wonderful job,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is really a textbook example of how it should be done.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith has 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\u00a0As he was preparing to embark on the trip, Smith said there is value to\u00a0\u201cboots-on-the-ground\u201d\u00a0contact at disaster sites. Smith 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\u00a0A significant part of the trip was planned to spend time 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\u00a0In addition to his concerns about the threat of health epidemics, Smith is also working to combat an increase in human trafficking which often takes place after a natural disaster.\u00a0 \u00a0Smith, who serves as the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees global health and is also the author of our nation\u2019s landmark anti-human trafficking legislation, the Trafficking Victim\u2019s Protection Act, said \u201cthere are precautions that can and must be taken immediately to protect young women and children who have been rendered homeless by the typhoon. Tragically, experience shows \u00a0there are thugs and predators who will deceive and coerce victims into life of human trafficking.\u201d \u00a0\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. An estimated 4.4 million people\u00a0 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.\n###", 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=362842"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9266110137104988, "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"}