Expressing sympathy to and support for the people and governments of the countries of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico which have suffered from Hurricanes Felix, Dean, and Henriette and whose complete economic and fatality toll are still unknown.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 642) expressing sympathy to and support for the people and governments of the countries of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico which have suffered from Hurricanes Felix, Dean, and Henriette and whose complete economic and fatality toll are still unknown.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

House Resolution 642 pertains to the hurricanes that have struck Latin America in recent weeks and expresses sympathy and support for the people and the governments of the countries of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, which have suffered from Hurricanes Felix, Dean, and Henriette and whose complete economic and fatality toll are still unknown.

As we all saw in the news in recent weeks, these hurricanes have devastated much of that region. We here in the House of Representatives want to express our sympathy and support for all the peoples in those regions that were impacted. We want to thank all those who have responded to the emergency with aid and various other efforts to help them and recognize the efforts of the United States in particular to do that and that we pledge to continue that help in any way we can as they try to recover from these terrible tragedies.

We in the U.S. know only too well the impacts of hurricanes and want to be as helpful as we can to our neighbors in helping them get through this very difficult time.

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

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

I just want to thank the Committee on Foreign Affairs again, Mr. Lantos, Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen, and the entire committee for their quick response to these issues. I think it is very, very important that we in the United States, particularly when we are talking about incidents in Latin America, our neighbors to the south, recognize as quickly as possible our solidarity with their struggles and their difficulties and our pledge to support and help them in any way we can.

I also want to thank Ms. Solis, who was the prime sponsor of this legislation, for her leadership on this issue. Not just this issue but throughout Latin America on a number of issues on the Foreign Affairs Committee, she has been a tremendous leader for us. She is supposed to be here to speak, but I believe she has been caught up in committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to cast votes on the following legislative measures on September 25. If I were present for rollcall votes, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of the following bills:

Roll 895, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H.R. 1400, To enhance United States diplomatic efforts with respect to Iran by imposing additional economic sanctions against Iran, and for other purposes.

Roll 896, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Res. 584: Supporting the goals and ideals of ``National Life Insurance Awareness Month.''

Roll 897, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Con. Res. 210: Supporting the goals and ideals of Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month.

Roll 898, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Res. 663: Supporting the goals and ideals of Veterans of Foreign Wars Day.

Roll 899, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Res. 548: Expressing the ongoing concern of the House of Representatives for Lebanon's democratic institutions and unwavering support for the administration of justice upon those responsible for the assassination of Lebanese public figures opposing Syrian control of Lebanon.

Roll 900, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Res. 642: Expressing sympathy to and support for the people and governments of the countries of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico which have suffered from Hurricanes Felix, Dean, and Henriette and whose complete economic and fatality toll are still unknown.

Roll 901, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Res. 557: Strongly condemning the United Nations Human Rights Council for ignoring severe human rights abuses in various countries, while choosing to unfairly target Israel by including it as the only country permanently placed on the Council's agenda.

Roll 902, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Table the Motion to Appeal the Ruling of the Chair.

Roll 903, September 25, 2007: On Ordering the Previous Question. H. Res. 675--Rule providing for consideration of the SCHIP bill.

Roll 904, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Res. 675--Rule providing for consideration of the SCHIP bill.

Roll 905, September 25, 2007: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Resolution. H. Res. 95--Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting the goals and ideals of Campus Fire Safety Month, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, I was not present for votes as I was in Little Rock, Arkansas attending the 50th Anniversary commemorating the integration of Little Rock Central High School by the Little Rock Nine.

Had I been present for rollcall No. 895, H.R. 1400, the Iran Counter- Proliferation Act of 2007, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 896, H. Res. 584, Supporting the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 897, H. Con. Res. 210, Supporting the goals and ideals of Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 898, H. Res. 663, Supporting the goals and ideals of Veterans of Foreign Wars Day, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 899, H. Res. 548, Expressing the ongoing concern of the House of Representatives for Lebanon's democratic institutions and unwavering support for the administration of justice upon those responsible for the assassination of Lebanese public figures opposing Syrian control of Lebanon, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 900, H. Res. 642, Expressing sympathy and support

for the people and governments of the countries of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico which have suffered from Hurricanes Felix, Dean, and Henriette and whose complete economic and fatality toll are still unknown, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 901, H. Res. 557, Strongly condemning the United Nations Human Rights Council for ignoring severe human rights abuses in various countries, while choosing to unfairly target Israel by including it as the only country permanently placed on the Council's agenda, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 902, H. Res. 675, Table Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 903, H. Res. 675, on the Previous Question on providing for consideration of the Senate amendments to H.R. 976, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax relief for small businesses, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 904, H. Res. 675, on agreeing to the resolution, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendments to H.R. 976, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax relief for small businesses, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 905, H. Res. 95, Campus Fire Safety Month, I would have voted ``Aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 642, a resolution I authored to express our sympathy and support for those affected by the recent hurricanes in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. As the only Member of Congress of Central American descent, I am very concerned about the impact of the hurricanes on this impoverished region of the world.

For the first time, two Category 5 storms, Hurricanes Dean and Felix, made landfall during the same year, both striking Central and Latin America. Earlier this month, Hurricane Felix, a Category 5 storm, made landfall along the remote border of Nicaragua and Honduras. The storm killed over 130 people and damaged or destroyed over 19,000 homes, mostly in Nicaragua. The aftermath has been devastating for thousands of families.

Hurricane Dean, another Category 5 storm, hit Mexico and the Caribbean coast and killed 27 people and damaged or destroyed over 50,000 homes. Nicaragua, in Central America, is one of the poorest countries in the area and was the hardest hit by Hurricane Felix.

The complete economic and human toll of the hurricanes is still unknown, but we must act quickly to ensure that humanitarian aid continues to flow to the communities impacted. Supplies, including food, clean water and rebuilding materials, are essential. Economic aid for the agriculture economies that those countries rely on is also badly needed.

House Resolution 642 recognizes the U.S. Government's initial humanitarian efforts and urges increased and continued assistance as the effects of the hurricanes unfold. The resolution also recognizes the efforts of humanitarian relief groups, including the International Red Cross.

Unfortunately, the United States knows all too well the damage and destruction that can result from hurricanes and other natural disasters. The area I represent in Los Angeles is prone to wildfires and earthquakes, and we are still working to support those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Just as Hurricane Katrina showed us how disruptive and damaging natural disasters can be, they are all the worse for less developed countries. We all remember the devastation of Hurricane Mitch, which killed nearly 11,000 people and caused catastrophic mudslides in the same region nearly 10 years ago. We can and must help our neighbors in Latin America to recover from these hurricanes.

I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 642.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 642, expressing sympathy to and support for the people and governments of the countries of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico which have suffered from Hurricanes Felix, Dean, and Henriette. I would like to thank my friend, Congresswoman Hilda Solis, for bringing this resolution to the House floor.

When Hurricane Dean, a category five hurricane, made landfall in Mexico's Yucatan in August, people around the world were stunned and saddened by the damage that massive storm left in its wake. The third strongest Atlantic hurricane ever at landfall, Dean ripped through Mexico, causing at least 42 deaths and $1.9 billion in damage.

After Hurricane Dean, the region braced itself as Hurricane Felix gathered strength off the coast of Central America weeks later. Felix touched down between Nicaragua and Honduras on September 1, 2007 wreaking havoc and causing at least 122 deaths. Also on September 1st, Hurricane Henriette slammed into Mexico's Baja, the first time since 1949 that two Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes hit land on the same day.

In the wake of these massive and destructive storms, Congress must continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the regions affected. As the effects of the hurricanes continue to unfold and we must also encourage concerned U.S. citizens to donate their time and funds to hurricane relief.

After Hurricane Mitch tore through Central America in 1999, I traveled to the Honduran town of Marcovia to help CARE bring relief to the thousands of affected families there. Hurricane Mitch killed more than 10,000 people, left hundreds of thousands homeless, and inflicted billions of dollars in economic losses throughout Central America.

I urge my colleagues in Congress and the American people to reach out to the countries, communities and individuals affected by Hurricanes Dean, Felix and Henriette the way we reached out to the survivors of Hurricane Mitch.

I am proud to support H. Res. 642 and I hope all of my colleagues will lend it their support.