Congresswoman Hirono Statement on Natural Disasters in South Pacific

PRESS RELEASE

IMMEDIATE RELEASE :  October 1, 2009

Contact: Marvin Buenconsejo :  (808) 541-1986

Congresswoman Hirono Statement on Natural Disasters in South Pacific

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) today issued the following statements regarding the natural disasters in the South Pacific:

“My thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating tsunami in the South Pacific and by the earthquakes and typhoons throughout Southeast Asia. These terrifying events are felt deeply throughout the State of Hawaii because of our close familial, historical, cultural, and geographical ties to the region,” said Congresswoman Hirono.

Yesterday, close to 100 members of Hawaii’s Army Air and Army Guard medical, communication, and search and rescue specialists set off on the nine-hour flight from Hickam Air Force Base to Pago Pago in American Samoa.

In addition, Hawaiian Airlines arranged for a special relief aid flight that also departed yesterday. The plane carried supplies donated by Hawaii-based companies. Personnel from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, and volunteer physicians from the Hawaii Disaster Medical Assistance Team travel to American Samoa on that flight.

President Barack Obama has declared American Samoa a major disaster area, as the tsunami destroyed entire villages. The U.S. government is in response phase. Rescue workers are making every effort to deliver help to and stabilize those severely injured. Tragically, the death count in the Samoas has already reached 150 people, mostly young children and the elderly.

“I know that my dear friend and colleague, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa is helping to assess the situation on the ground. I will do all I can to support his efforts as well as those of our Samoan community in Hawaii,” said Congresswoman Hirono.

Two earthquakes also hit Indonesia yesterday and today, resulting in a death toll of more than 500. In the Philippines, 277 people were killed by an earlier storm in and around Manila, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. That storm has moved through Vietnam and Cambodia and is headed toward Laos and Thailand.

“My heart goes out to those who were lost, their loved ones, and the tens and thousands of survivors who are struggling in the aftermath of these cataclysmic events,” said Congresswoman Hirono.

END