HIGHLIGHTING THE NEED FOR NATURAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Today I had the honor of meeting U.S. Senator Andy Kim at his Town Hall meeting in Westfield New Jersey.

This week, Senator Kim appeared on The Brian Lehrer Show on WYNC, a New York Public Radio station, and spoke about Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's policy that will delay aid, risk lives, and make our communities unsafe when it comes to responding to natural disasters. New Jersey knows all too well how hard it is to recover from devastating storms, hurricanes, and other weather crises, and we deserve leadership that will advocate for us.

I've written and spoken extensively on flood risk and the importance of The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, most Americans are unaware of the wider roles that the NFIP and FEMA play in disaster preparedness and response, which goes for beyond providing flood insurance coverage.  

To participate in the NFIP, communities must adopt and enforce minimum floodplain management regulations. This includes building codes and land-use planning aimed at limiting new development in high-risk areas, elevating structures, and requiring floodproofing. These requirements help make buildings and infrastructure more resilient to future floods and reduce potential damage. The NFIP also encourages investment in broader disaster preparedness and mitigation measures at the local level.

Senator Kim pointed out that natural disasters affect us all, and that natural disaster preparedness should not be a partisan issue. Yet, the current administration has the stated goal of eliminating FEMA and they are placing bureaucratic roadblocks to slowdown or eliminate aid to communities in need. 

For example, according to CNN, "even as Texas rescue crews raced to save lives," in response to the devastating flooding over the Fourth of July weekend, "FEMA officials realized they needed [Secretary] Noem’s approval before sending those additional assets. Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began." As of this writing, at least 135 people are confirmed dead and approximately 100 people are still missing. How many of these people could have been rescued if the Texas rescue crews did not have their hands tied by Secretary Noem?

In a written statement, Senator Kim said: 

“We see this absolutely appalling policy by Secretary Noem that requires any type of grant or any type of resource over $100,000—to be able to get her personal sign off. And her policy specifically says it could take a minimum of 5 days to get approval. We don’t have that kind of time when it comes to crisis response... I’ve called upon her to rescind that policy of hers so we’re not adding more layers of bureaucracy... Noem’s performance and actions are abominable and honestly, it is a real disgrace to that job and to this department that was set up to protect America, not be weaponized against people living in America.” 

Thank you, Senator Kim.

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