US disaster resilience bill sent to Senate

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to boost disaster mitigation resourcing and improve resilience, with supporters now looking for Senate support.

The Resilient America Act was initiated by the BuildStrong Coalition, which includes insurers, firefighters, emergency responders, engineers and other groups focussing on resilience.

Insurance Information Institute Research Writer Max Dorfman says the bill would lift annual spending for the new National Public Infrastructure Pre-Disaster Mitigation fund from up to 6% of post-disaster funding to up to 15%.

The bill would also extend eligibility for a resilience program that provides grants to strengthen existing properties. Upgrades could include wind and roofing improvements, flood proofing and building saferooms.

The bill was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 383-41 last week.

“This is great news for Americans who are faced with devastating disasters, and we are grateful to the legislation’s supporters in the House,” BuildStrong Chairman Jimi Grande said. “For it to clear the House with strong bipartisan support proves its immense value to our communities.”

Mr Grande says the group is hopeful the backing in the House of Representatives demonstrates that addressing the resilience crisis is long overdue.

“We’re already looking forward to continuing to build support in the Senate and doing everything we can to help get this across the finish line,” he said.

BuildStrong says the Resilient America Act adds to improvements made in recently established national mitigation and resilience programs.

These include the passage of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act in 2018 and more recently President Joe Biden’s allocation of $US1 billion ($1.3 billion) in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pre-disaster mitigation initiatives authorised by the law.

“This progress came after years of inaction, and the Resilient America Act is necessary to strengthen and address gaps in these newly established programs,” BuildStrong says.

The Insurance Information Institute says much of the US remains at high risk of devastating consequences from natural disasters.