Yesterday, Congress passed a new law aimed at improving America’s approach to disaster resilience. The Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) was included in larger legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, which President Trump is expected to sign shortly.

The DRRA represents a historic change in disaster resilience policy in the U.S. The law places 6% of annual disaster spending into a new national pre-disaster mitigation account, which would allow states and communities to apply for funding for proactive mitigation activities that produce a measurable reduction of risk. This funding is in addition to current post-disaster funding.

This DRRA also includes provisions intended to strengthen building code requirements and ensure that public utility structures, such as electrical poles, are resilient to extreme wind and ice conditions in certain geographic areas. 

The measure includes $1.68 billion for Hurricane Florence disaster relief and requires FEMA to submit a report to Congress containing information on when self-insurance amounts have been insufficient to address flood damages in the wake of a disaster.

The Big “I” is a member of the BuildStrong Coalition, the organization that championed the legislation.

Jennifer Webb is Big “I” federal government affairs counsel.