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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Jerry Weller (R-IL), cochairmen of the Congressional Sri Lankan Caucus, today held a briefing on Capitol Hill today with Sri Lankan Ambassador Devinda Subasinghe to update members of Congress and congressional staff on the devastation and relief efforts in Sri Lanka following last week's earthquake and tsunami. Pallone is scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka next week with a congressional delegation to tour affected areas.
During the briefing, Ambassador Subasinghe called the extent of tragedy and disaster in Sri Lanka "unprecedented." Recent reports indicate the death toll in Sri Lanka exceeds 40,000 people and that approximately 40 percent of the casualties are children. He stated that 70 percent of the Sri Lankan coastline has been impacted, devastating agricultural and fishing communities and destroying the tourism industry along the southern coast.
"We pledge whatever assistance is necessary," Pallone said to the crowded room. "We cannot imagine the level of devastation. So many people have lost their means of subsistence. We have to think in terms of long-term assistance."
Ambassador Subasinghe thanked Congress and the American people for their outpouring of support and assistance, stating that the generosity of the United States has "touched the people of Sri Lanka." He stated that the government of Sri Lanka will need significant support to cleanup and rebuild the destroyed infrastructure along their coastline.
Pallone, who is leading efforts in Congress to expand the tsunami early warning system globally, asked what Sri Lanka and area nations are doing to detect possible aftershocks and to prevent future disasters. Ambassador Subasinghe indicated that Sri Lanka is working closely with the Indian government to build a temporary system and that the warning station in Hawaii has set up an "ad hoc" warning system for the region.
"The technology to create a global tsunami early earning system already exists and the costs to put the system in place are nominal," Pallone said following the briefing. "We need to do everything we can to prevent this type of tragedy in the future and to work with the affected nations to rebuild and to protect their people."
The New Jersey congressman is scheduled to be part of a congressional delegation that is traveling to South Asia this weekend to tour affected areas. The delegation will meet with government and relief officials in Sri Lanka and other affected countries.
The members that attended today's briefing included U.S. Reps. Scott Garrett (D-NJ), Charlie Dent (R-PA) and K. Michael Conway (R-TX). |
