I was able to assure more than 200 of my constituents that their loved ones in southern Italy were not among the dead or injured. The gathering of the information in Italy that enabled me to pass these reassurances to my constituents was achieved with dispatch and ingenuity. under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. since internal transportation and communication networks in Italy have been seriously disrupted. I was further able to establish the facts that permitted approvals of expedited tourist visas for Italian citizens whose homes and livelihood were destroyed in the earthquake.. Despite the hardships of daily life in the midst of that destruction. our Embassy and consulates worked day and night to see that visas for persons who wished to join their families in this country were processed as rapidly as possible. The reaffirmation that the United States is still the haven for those whose lives and fortunes have crumbled due to forces totally beyond their control is one of the most significant messages that has emerged from this tragedy. We must now find the means to permit those persons with emergency tourist visasif they so desire and if they also have proper sponsorship in this countryto remain here. by expediting their applications for permanent residence.