PROTECTINGAMERICA.ORG E-NEWS American Red Cross and American Iron and Steel Institute Join ProtectingAmerica.org ProtectingAmerica.org is pleased to welcome the American Red Cross and the American Iron and Steel Institute to our growing list of coalition members. The addition of these organizations is another step forward in our mission to help better prepare and protect America from disaster. 'The mission of the American Red Cross is to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies,' notes Joe Becker, Senior Vice President of Disaster Preparedness and Response at the American Red Cross. 'Our new partnership with ProtectingAmerica.org will help support our goal for individuals and families across the country to prepare for unexpected situations.' Read more Andrew G. Sharkey, III, president and CEO of AISI explained, 'Our goal is to ensure that homes, offices, bridges, utility poles and other structures are not only rebuilt, but rebuilt stronger. With enough effort and the help of organizations like ProtectingAmerica.org, we can ensure that unsafe bridges and blue tarp communities are images of the past.' Read more Long-Term Strategies to Rebuild Stronger: Gulf Coast Initiative  | Builders and contractors retrofit the devastated Gulf Coast with steel roofs and framing, resistant to winds up to 150 mph.
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As rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast continue after Hurricane Katrina, through the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative, the steel industry brings forth innovations in building technology to meet unprecedented demands for stronger, better homes. The American Iron and Steel Institute, a member of ProtectingAmerica.org, is among the participating organizations and companies who provide expertise in all facets of the industry to support the worthwhile efforts of the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative. Recent efforts to implement long-term strategies to positively impact future construction practices include the Builder Cooperative Program, in which builders are trained and energized to build smarter and stronger with steel; local workforce training to teach modern steel framing and roofing methods to local contractors and technical schools; and improving building standards to increase the wind load requirement for residential framing. Learn more about the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative, recent efforts, supporting companies and participating organizations. WLOX-TV, in South Mississippi, reports on rebuilding with steel. Watch the news segment here. Outgoing National Hurricane Center Director Issues Final Warning Max Mayfield to the Public: The 'Big One' Is Yet to Come  | National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield, now retired, prepares for a news conference at the hurricane center in Miami.
Source: Associated Press |
Retired National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield says a storm bigger than Hurricane Katrina will eventually strike the Southeast. Upon exiting his 34-year government career on January 3, Mayfield warned that residents of the Southeast are inviting disaster by continuing to build homes in coastal areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes and lacking evacuation plans. 'We're eventually going to get a strong enough storm in a densely populated area to have a major disaster,' said Mayfield. 'People don't want to hear this, and I'm generally a very positive person, but we're setting ourselves up for this major disaster.' Cape Cod Lawmakers Build Support for a Proposed 'Catastrophic Event Fund'  | Waves striking a seawall, 1938
Source: NWS Historic Collection |
S. Ming Lee, executive vice president of AIR Worldwide Corp., warned Massachusetts legislators that the state would face billions of dollars in insurance claims if the Hurricane of 1938 were to strike today. In the hopes of stopping the current exodus of insurers from Cape Cod and other coastal areas, Lee was invited to speak to the Legislature’s coastal caucus to help build support for a proposed ‘catastrophic event fund.’ In the event of a disaster, the fund would back up private insurance companies to financially assist subsequent recovery efforts. Recently, the trend of home insurance companies has been to either abandon the Cape and other coastal areas, or to drastically increase rates citing the skyrocketing cost of reinsurance. Legislators agree that action must be taken to solve the insurance crisis, before residents are forced from their homes by unaffordable premiums. Read more National Weather Service's StormReady® Program Helps Communities Prepare for Disaster
As of January 29, 2007, There Were 1,105 StormReady® Sites in 50 States From big cities to small towns, the National Weather Service’s StormReady® guidelines prepare communities with an action plan to respond to severe weather. Designed to better prepare communities for natural disaster, the program helps its customers be better prepared to save lives during threatening weather through better planning, education and awareness. StormReady® proved its success in Van Wert County, Ohio, where a series of warning alert systems were placed in public locations, including the movie theater destroyed in the November 10-11 storm outbreak. Thanks to the warning system and the quick action of theater management, nearly 50 movie-goers were moved into safe conditions as trouble quickly approached. Minutes later, a tornado tore off the building's roof and tossed cars into the screen and front seats where kids and parents had been watching 'The Santa Clause 2.' Find out how you can better protect your community Hawaii Earthquake is a Daunting Reminder of Vulnerability ProtectingAmerica.org Executive Director Robert Porter Advocates Need for National Catastrophe Fund  | Traffic makes its way along one lane of Kahala Mountain Road near Waimea on the Big Island after the Oct. 15 earthquake damaged the road.
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin |
Following the 6.7 earthquake that rocked Hawaii’s Big Island this past October, Robert W. Porter, Executive Director of ProtectingAmerica.org, wrote an op-ed in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin advocating the need for comprehensive catastrophe preparedness programs in Hawaii and other catastrophe-prone states. Establishing privately funded state and national catastrophe funds would serve as backstops in the event of destructive natural disasters. 'The national warnings have been sent. From Hurricane Katrina to the Hawaii earthquake, our leaders have been put on notice. It is imperative that they heed those warnings. The safety of our families and the security of our homes depend on it.' Robert Porter, Executive Director of ProtectingAmerica.org |
Read Porter's op-ed ProtectingAmerica.org Co-Chair Calls for National Policy for Disasters Admiral James M. Loy Says Despite Mild 2006 Hurricane Season, Congress Needs to Enact Catastrophe Legislation  | | Adm. James M. Loy, Co-Chair of ProtectingAmerica.org |
In an op-ed co-authored in The Miami Herald, ProtectingAmerica.org co-chair Admiral James M. Loy says legislation for a comprehensive national program is past due. Along with University of Florida professor Robert Jerry and attorney Steven Roberts, Admiral Loy advocates the need for a national catastrophe fund before the next hurricane season, reminding readers that the 2007 season is merely months away. The insurance crisis only underscores the need for federal legislation: Homeowners from Texas to the Carolinas either cannot obtain insurance coverage or must pay astronomical premiums for coverage that is much more limited than before. For homeowners who simply cannot afford it, a major hurricane spells financial disaster and virtually guarantees unprecedented mortgage defaults. The effect on the national economy would be pronounced and long-lasting. Adm. James M. Loy, Robert Jerry and Steven Roberts |
Loy and his co-authors conclude with this caution: 'The 2006 hurricane season passed with a whimper, but the 2007 season is only six months away. The timing of future natural disasters is unknown, but that they will occur is absolutely certain. Now is the time to prepare a comprehensive, cohesive and coordinated national policy to deal with them.' Read the op-ed in its entirety. Coalition Member Spotlight: First Response Coalition Calls for 110th Congress to Establish 'National First Responders Appreciation Day' ProtectingAmerica.org Coalition member First Response Coalition is calling on Congress to designate Sept. 22 as 'National First Responders Appreciation Day.' This long-overdue national day of recognition would honor the millions of first responders who risk their lives to protect America's communities. The FRC has released a draft resolution that outlines the many reasons why first responders deserve a national day of thanks and recognition. Bi-partisan support comes from Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Representative Jane Harman (D-CA). The FRC’s draft resolution cites the tireless efforts of the country’s 1.1 million firefighters, 670,000 police officers, and 742,000 emergency medical personnel. The FRC chose September 22nd as the date for the proposed 'National First Responders Appreciation Day' as it was in the aftermath of September 11th that first responders received widespread praise for their heroic work and should be so honored every year for their contributions and sacrifices. Sign the petition to help urge Congress to enact this much deserved day of thanks and recognition. Sign the Petition and find out more about FRC SEND US YOUR NEWS DO YOU HAVE NEWS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE IN OUR COALITION SPOTLIGHT? WRITE US AT ENEWS@PROTECTINGAMERICA.ORG AND LET US KNOW HOW YOUR ORGANIZATION IS WORKING TO BETTER PROTECT AMERICA FROM CATASTROPHE. YOUR NEWS WILL BE ADDED TO THE WEB SITE AND FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING NEWSLETTER. See a list of our coalition members If this e-mail was forwarded to you and you'd like to join the effort to better prepare for and protect America from catastrophe, follow the link to register.
ProtectingAmerica.org's mission is to raise awareness, educate the public and policymakers, and offer solutions that will better prepare and protect America from major catastrophe in a sensible, cost-effective fashion. Please contact enews@protectingamerica.org if you have any questions or comments. | 
