HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 10

(By Delegate Westfall)

[Introduced January 17, 2019]

Designating September 1^st through September 7^th, 2019, as Resiliency Week in West Virginia.

Whereas, Hazard mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters; and

Whereas, Hazard mitigation is most effective when implemented under a comprehensive, long-term mitigation plan; and

Whereas, The Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is designed to assist states and local communities in implementing a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program; and

Whereas, Federal legislation recently signed into law, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, makes available new dollars for states and communities to undertake pre-disaster mitigation measures and creates new incentives for states to build resiliently; and

Whereas, Since 1908, natural disasters have cost the country more than $1 trillion; and

Whereas, Disasters affect the local and state economies in lost payrolls, lost sales and income tax, and increased disaster recovery times; and

Whereas, According to a FEMA commissioned study conducted by the National Institute of Building Sciences, every $1 spent on hazard mitigation provides the nation with $6 in future benefits; and

Whereas, Twenty-five percent of small businesses that are impacted by a natural disaster never reopen their doors; and

Whereas, September is National Preparedness Month and West Virginia Preparedness Month in recognition of the need for all Americans to prepare and plan for recovery after a disaster; and

Whereas, Mitigation planning is a key process used to break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage; and

Whereas, Effective pre-disaster mitigation reduces the demand for relief services on volunteer organizations such as disaster rescue and recovery teams, along with food banks and homeless shelters who serve our communities by changing their operations to provide additional services to those affected by disaster; and

Whereas, This body honors the brave men and women who, as first responders, selflessly provide aid in a disaster to safeguard West Virginia’s citizens; and

Whereas, This body encourages West Virginia communities to build resiliently and develop long-range mitigation strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Legislature hereby designates the week of September 1^st through September 7^th, 2019, as Resiliency Week in West Virginia to raise public awareness about the continuing need to plan for future disasters by instituting a pre-disaster mitigation strategy.