The bill has three objectives: (1) to amend the Stafford Act by adding a requirement that FEMA maintain and update the National Risk Index and use that dataset to identify and designate CDRZ communities that are the most in need and most at risk to natural hazards; (2) authorize the President to provide CDRZ-designated communities with assistance and funding for pre-disaster mitigation planning and projects to increase resilience against the identified hazards; and (3) help prioritize and attract additional public and private sector funding for resilience projects in or primarily benefitting CDRZ-designated communities.
President of the RAA, Frank Nutter applauded the introduction of the legislation, as he added: “This legislation is particularly important for disadvantaged communities that face significant climate and natural hazard risk and challenges in accessing pre-disaster mitigation funding.
“A guiding principle of the Federal government’s natural disaster policy should be to protect American families, businesses and communities, and taxpayers by managing the nation’s escalating climate and natural disaster risks by reducing those risks over the long-term. We can do that by enacting common-sense resilience legislation which the CDRZ Act proposes.”
In addition, Nutter also applauded the sponsors of the legislation: “I commend Chairman Peters and Ranking Member Portman for their bipartisan leadership and legislation to help communities across our country that are the most in need and most at risk from natural disasters.”