January, 23 2008 Catastrophe Experts Press for Answers from Presidential Hopefuls The nation’s largest coalition of first responders, emergency management professionals, small and large businesses and 15,000 individual members today announced a major direct mail campaign to urge likely Democratic and Republican primary voters to demand answers from presidential hopefuls on where they stand on the issue of catastrophe protection. 'Voters in states prone to massive hurricanes or major earthquakes deserve to know where the candidates stand on catastrophe protection before they cast their votes,' said Pete McDonough Jr., national director of ProtectingAmerica.org. 'To help them find out where the candidates stand, ProtectingAmerica.org has launched a 150,000 piece mailing to likely primary election voters in Florida, South Carolina and California,' McDonough said. 'This is a non-partisan effort; catastrophe protection is a non-partisan issue,' he said. 'ProtectingAmerica.org is not endorsing or supporting any of the candidates in either party, only seeking to provide important information to voters in the presidential election cycle,' he added. McDonough was joined at the announcement by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum who has long been an advocate for the establishment of a national catastrophe fund and other measures to prepare and protect American families. McCollum sponsored legislation in Congress to increase catastrophe protection and led the effort in the Florida Cabinet to pass a resolution calling for the creation of a national catastrophe fund. 'Knowing where candidates stand on this issue is critical to making an informed choice in the upcoming election,' McCollum said. 'Residents of Florida, and indeed voters throughout the nation, deserve to know which candidates are supporting efforts to help them rebuild, repair and recover when the unthinkable happens,' the Attorney General added. The front of the mailing includes a photo of the White House and asks, 'They want to live in this house. But who is fighting now to protect your house?' The back of the 8 ½' x 11' mailing includes pictures of homes destroyed by hurricanes and earthquakes, and directs recipients to web sites that will allow them to automatically send letters to each of the presidential candidates asking for their position on catastrophe protection and the creation of a national catastrophe fund. The mail for the Florida and California efforts began to reach households on Tuesday, January 22. The mail for South Carolina was delivered last week and generated over 1,000 responses. 'Catastrophe protection is a critical national issue. Fully, six-in-ten American families live in areas that are exposed to massive hurricanes or major earthquakes. Families that live in the Midwest are exposed to a replay of the massive New Madrid earthquakes of the early 1800s, families along the West Coast live in constant fear of earthquakes, and Gulf and East Coast residents are exposed, every year, to devastating hurricanes,' McDonough said. In addition to the mailing, the organization will be e-mailing the postcard to 15,000 individual members of ProtectingAmerica.org throughout the country. 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 hit the continental U.S. emanated from New Madrid, Missouri in 1811 and affected an area 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 struck 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 was formed in 2005 and 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, more than 300 other organizations and businesses and more than 15,000 individuals from across the nation. 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. Among its efforts to support this mission, ProtectingAmerica.org is working to increase public awareness and 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. In addition to its education and public awareness programs, the organization is supporting, federal legislation that would establish a privately financed national catastrophe fund to serve as a backstop to state catastrophe funds. The funds’ private deposits and the majority of the earnings could only be used to cover replacement and rebuilding costs following major catastrophic events. A portion of the earnings could be used to increase public and consumer education, strengthen first responders, enhance building codes and improve their enforcement. A copy of the mailing is attached and available online by visiting http://www.protectingamerica.org/pdf/PP_Mailer.pdf. | 
