ASFPM Member Testifies at Senate Hearing on Natural Disasters

Extreme flooding, shoreline erosion, rising water levels, and dam failures. Michigan has experienced all of these in recent years – sometimes at historic levels. In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, Jerry Hancock, executive director of the Michigan Stormwater-Floodplain Association, spoke about many of these issues as he outlined five areas where preparedness and mitigation can be improved across the nation, and the collective effort needed from individuals, communities, states, the federal government, and the private sector to make it happen.

“Simply put, we can’t prepare or mitigate if we don’t know where current and future hazard areas are located,” said Hancock, who serves as the stormwater and floodplain programs coordinator for the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan. “For floodplain managers, this means we must have a nationwide program of updated rainfall frequency and have a robust set of flood maps that identifies all flood hazards as was envisioned by Congress when it passed the national flood mapping program.”

In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) talked about the urgent need to strengthen our disaster preparedness and response efforts across the country. Peters authored the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act, signed into law earlier this year, which establishes loans that local governments can access to help mitigate the impact of natural disasters in a more cost-effective way. 

“Severe storms, extreme flooding, and devastating wildfires cost our nation billions of dollars every year,” said Peters. “But we can strengthen our disaster response efforts, and save taxpayer dollars, by making smart, forward-looking investments in mitigation before a disaster strikes.”

The September 29 hearing brought together disaster preparedness and response experts to discuss how worsening natural disasters, including flooding, severe storms, and wildfires, continue to harm lives and livelihoods. 

In addition to Hancock, the hearing featured testimony from Sima Merick, president of the National Emergency Managers Association and Executive Director Ohio Emergency Management Agency; Jennifer Pipa, vice president of disaster programs the American Red Cross; and John S. Butler, second vice president with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, who serves as fire chief in Fairfax County, Virginia.

You can watch the recording of the hearing on Addressing the Threat of Worsening Natural Disasters and download written testimony from each witness on the Senate committee page.