Sec. 2. Findings

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Congress finds the following: According to the 2018 National Climate Assessment, climate change due to global warming has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, substantial interference with and growing losses to human health and safety, infrastructure, property, industry, recreation, natural resources, agricultural systems, and quality of life in the United States. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, climate change is already increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather and other climate-related disasters, including drought, wildfire, and storms that include precipitation.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2020, there were a record 22 weather and climate disasters costing $1,000,000,000 or more across the country, shattering the prior annual record of 16. These events totaled $95,000,000,000 in damages. Since 2015, the United States has experienced more than 81 individual disasters, amounting to $630,200,000,000 in economic losses, and close to 4,000 deaths. Researchers have found that Black, Latino, and low-income families are more likely to live in high-risk areas like flood zones, less likely to have money to harden infrastructure and homes in advance of disasters, and less likely to receive assistance during recovery periods.

According to Dr. Beverly Wright and Dr. Robert Bullard, environmental and public health threats from natural and human-made disasters are not randomly distributed, affecting some communities more than others , and therefore our response to disasters necessitates the adoption of policies and processes rooted in principles of racial equity, self-determination, and democracy. Research from the University of Colorado shows that the top 10 percent of disaster hotspots account for about 30 percent of the contiguous United States but are home to nearly 60 percent of buildings in the country.

According to testimony in November 2017 from former Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long, I cannot overstate the importance of focusing on investing in mitigation before a disaster strikes. Building more resilient communities is the best way to reduce risks to people, property, and taxpayer dollars. . The Government Accountability Office found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency spends 88 percent of its budget on postdisaster mitigation. For fiscal year 2020 grant application cycle, the Federal Emergency Management Agency received nearly $4,000,000,000 in applications for their grant programs.

However, in fiscal year 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency only made $700,000,000 available for predisaster mitigation. Public-sector investment in mitigation since 1995 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Housing and Urban Development Agency cost the country $27,000,000,000 but is projected to save $160,000,000,000, totaling $6 saved per $1 invested. The United States has an opportunity to use disaster mitigation to minimize risk, improve resiliency, and address social problems.