We saw firsthand Sandy's devastation, which tore apart communities, as well as the massive reconstruction effort underway in lower Manhattan and across the region.
I'm pleased to welcome Administrator Fugate to this hearing on disaster response and recovery. The work of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is critical in helping our country prepare for, mitigate against, and recover from disasters. Over the past few years, the number of Presidentially declared disasters has skyrocketed. In 2011, for example, there were 99, an unprecedented level. In comparison, 2012 had about half that, with 47 Presidentially declared disasters, but it included Hurricane Sandy, a storm of historic magnitude. Currently every state in the Nation has pending disaster recovery projects with FEMA. And now with the passage of the Sandy supplemental, we are seeing direct requests for disaster declarations from tribal areas too.
Just last week, Chairman Carter and I visited New York to witness its damage caused by Hurricane Sandy and review the rebuilding efforts. This storm lashed the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut with heavy rain, winds and a record storm surge. The results were 340,000 homes and 200,000 businesses damaged or destroyed; more than 8.5 million families left without power, heat, or running water for weeks or months; and some of our nation's premier hospitals and transportation systems shut down. Because Hurricane Sandy hit such a populous region directly, the National Hurricane Center estimates that it will be the second-costliest in our Nation's history, behind only Hurricane Katrina. We saw firsthand the devastation that tore apart communities such as Breezy Point and Long Beach, as well as the massive reconstruction effort that is underway in lower Manhattan and across the region.
In recent years, climate change has made extreme weather events more common and more intense, stretching Federal, state, and local relief efforts thin. The variability and breadth of these storms makes our mitigation efforts increasingly critical. We cannot continue just to make investments in rebuilding after an event occurs; we must pay equal attention to preventing damage from occurring in the first place. These efforts are critically important to vulnerable communities but also to the federal budget and our economic prospects.
The benefits of mitigation efforts are especially clear in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, which hit much of the same area impacted by Hurricane Katrina six years earlier. Housing that had been elevated after Hurricane Katrina experienced much less damage. Flooding occurred in green spaces where commercial or residential properties once stood. While areas were still deluged from Hurricane Isaac, it would have been much worse without critical post-disaster and pre-disaster efforts.
Yet the impacts of both sequestration and the Republican-passed Continuing Resolution will continue to hamper the efforts of FEMA and our State and Local governments to address these needs. Under sequestration the Disaster Relief fund will be reduced by $928 million- endangering long-term recovery efforts in Joplin, Missouri; in Alabama; and ultimately throughout the Tri-State region. Combine this with the draconian 55 percent cut in State and Local grants in the Republican-passed CR and we are slashing funding to protect our communities at the exact time we should be building up their capabilities and resiliency. The Senate's approach, including the negotiated Homeland Security bill in the CR, will help considerably, but sequestrations destructive effects will still be felt.
Today we will examine the achievements, gaps, and challenges that communities are experiencing as they work to recover from Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters; we will also hear how sequestration will affect FEMA's role across the nation. While FEMA has made great strides since its disastrous performance following Hurricane Katrina, and Administrator Fugate, I give you and your team much of the credit for that. But we never can simply rest on our laurels, thinking that our response and recovery efforts are sufficient. I know that you attempt to learn from each natural disaster and continually to improve, so that we wisely invest in the best programs and resources to support our citizens during their times of need.
Administrator Fugate, I want to thank you for your service to our country. I look forward to a productive discussion today and to continuing to work together to build a more resilient nation.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
