Perspective: Natural disasters are on the rise. We need a bipartisan approach to address them – By Chris Brown (Deseret News) / Mar 28 2023
Instead of reacting after the fact, policymakers should focus on mitigating harm before disasters occur
From catastrophic flooding in California to the deadly tornado that tore through Mississippi last week, natural disasters are already racking up in 2023. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the rate of billion-dollar disasters has accelerated in recent decades, going from an average of near 3 events per year in the 1980s to an average of 16 per year between 2016 to 2022.
Americans depend on Congress for help when natural disasters strike.
But the current federal response apparatus is more reactionary rather than proactive and preventive, leading to a “wash-rinse-repeat cycle, where communities are rebuilt with the same vulnerabilities as before,” according to Steve Ellis, the president of nonpartisan budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense.
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