Last week, two members of the Florida congressional delegation teamed up on a bill that “ensures that hurricane preparedness tools, alerts, and planning systems would address the needs of seniors, people with disabilities, rural and urban populations, and more.”
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., introduced the “Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act” with U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., co-sponsoring it.
“With Florida and our people on the frontlines of worsening hurricanes and storms, the Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act will help pave the way for new steps that will help protect the most at-risk folks from the worst of a natural disaster,” said Frost. “Our emergency communications and preparations systems need to meet Floridians where they are at – whether you’re a senior, someone living with a disability, or a non-English speaker – you deserve to have the knowledge and tools necessary to protect yourself from a hurricane, and this bill does just that.”
“As Floridians, we are not strangers to the terrible power and ravages of hurricanes and tropical storms, and we recognize the need for emergency relief when such tragedies occur,” said Webster. “In the wake of natural disasters, seniors, people with disabilities and those in rural areas are often most vulnerable. The Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act will help federal agencies evaluate how these harder to reach populations receive emergency notifications and identify shortcomings to improve preparedness and assure that assistance will swiftly reach those at the time of need.”
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
Author
