March 15, 2007 ProtectingAmerica.org Applauds Congressional Commitment on Catastrophe Preparedness James Lee Witt and Admiral James Loy call Chairman Frank’s Efforts Essential to Protect American Families (Washington, D.C.) – ProtectingAmerica.org co-chairs James Lee Witt, former FEMA director, and Admiral James M. Loy, former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, today praised the commitment of House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to make catastrophe preparedness and protection a priority for his committee. 'The chairman’s announcement today is a clear indication that the way we prepare and protect American families for and from the onslaught of massive hurricanes, catastrophic earthquakes or other mega-disasters is a critical national priority,' said Mr. Witt. 'Simply put, natural catastrophes have struck in every region of our vast country and there is no doubt that they will strike again,' Admiral Loy said. 'We need the Congress to act quickly and enact a comprehensive solution that protects homeowners, keeps their insurance available and affordable, and provides a stable source of funding for first responders,' Loy added. 'ProtectingAmerica.org stands ready to support the Chairman and members of the House Financial Services Committee as well as the many other members of Congress who are working to develop a comprehensive natural disaster policy for the United States,' Witt said. 'The broad regional and bipartisan representation at today’s announcement underscores the vulnerability that this country faces with regard to catastrophe. History tells us that virtually every region of this country has experienced natural catastrophes that, if repeated today, would destroy entire communities, bring ruin to countless numbers of American families, and have an immediate impact on state, regional, and the national economies,' Witt said. A Nation Exposed • Risk experts and modelers suggest that 57 percent of the American public resides in areas that are prone to earthquakes, hurricanes or other disasters.
• Twenty states, including Hawaii and every state that borders the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, face the threat of hurricanes every year.
• The largest earthquake to ever rock the continental U.S. emanated from New Madrid, Missouri, in 1811 and affected an area that stretched from Mississippi to Michigan, from Pennsylvania to Nebraska.
• Eight out of the 11 most costly U.S. natural catastrophes have occurred since 2001.
• Since 1900, 11 hurricanes have made direct hits on New England; six of them on the New York coastline. The 'Long Island Express,' a massive hurricane that in 1938 made landfall in Long Island and raced through Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, killed 700 people and left 63,000 people homeless. If the same storm struck today, damages would exceed $100 billion, according to risk modelers.
About ProtectingAmerica.org ProtectingAmerica.org is a non-profit organization consisting of emergency management officials, first responders, disaster relief experts, insurers and others. Its members include the American Red Cross and more than 200 other organizations and businesses. At the core of ProtectingAmerica.org’s mission is the establishment of a comprehensive, integrated national catastrophe management solution that will better prepare and protect American families, communities, consumers and the American economy from catastrophe. ProtectingAmerica.org is working to increase public awareness and enhance consumer education; advocate for better coordination with local, state and federal mitigation and recovery efforts, and strengthen emergency response and financial mechanisms to rebuild after a major catastrophe. The organization supports comprehensive federal legislation that would establish a privately financed national catastrophe fund that would serve as a backstop to state catastrophe funds. The funds' private deposits and the majority of earnings could only be used to cover replacement and rebuilding costs following major catastrophic events. A portion of the funds’ earnings would be dedicated to increase public and consumer education, strengthen first responders, and enhance building codes and their enforcement. ProtectingAmerica.org was formed in 2005 to lead a concentrated effort to improve the way America prepares for and protects its families, communities, consumers and economy from catastrophe. ####### |
