Congresswoman Clarke, from a recent trip, gave this report:

As a result of hurricane Ike, an estimated 850,000 people have been affected and almost half of those affected are children. Over 500 people have been killed and rescuers and aides are only beginning to reach some of the hardest-hit areas.

Over 150,000 people have been internally displaced and only about half of those people are in shelters. More than 35,000 homes have been destroyed. The devastation continues on and on; the City of Gonaive is totally destroyed and underwater, it was a city of approximately 400,000 inhabitants. It is no more.

The needs on the ground are vast and must be attended to with great haste. Basic supplies like water and a change of clothes are luxuries to the people in the areas severely hit by the storms. The infrastructure for majority of the island is non-existent. Bridges have been demolished and transportation possible only by boats or helicopter.

The agricultural market is completely eliminated. After the hunger crisis, Haiti had begun an aggressive crop effort and it was beginning to re-emerge. That glimmer of hope too has been washed away with the storms. The crops have been covered with mud and the planting season is over. Once again, people are at risk of starvation.

As one can imagine, these kinds of conditions breed a potpourri of health concerns. The urgency for immediate need for water purification systems, generators, medical supplies and other essential items cannot be expressed enough.