Last week, two members of the Florida congressional delegation got their 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” included in the “Weather Act Reauthorization Act.”
At the end of last month, 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 added as an amendment to U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas’, R-Okla., “Weather Act Reauthorization Act” which is “focused on strengthening the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) work to advance the U.S. weather system.” The U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee included Frost’s and Webster’s proposal as an amendment with no opposition.
“The Weather Act Reauthorization is lifesaving legislation which will allow our communities to be better prepared for all kinds of weather,” said Frost. “I’m proud that my bipartisan bill with Rep. Webster, the Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act, was successfully included in this large legislative package to ensure that vulnerable folks like seniors, those with disabilities, and non-English speakers have the knowledge and tools they need to safely make it through a hurricane or any other kind of severe storm. This legislation will save Floridian lives and I look forward to it being passed by the full House and signed into law.”
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