Louisiana lawmakers propose natural disaster review board to learn lessons, save lives

Oct. 13--Louisiana lawmakers in Congress are pushing a measure they hope leads to more-effective government response to natural disasters like hurricanes.

The Disaster Learning and Life Saving Act was introduced last week by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in the Senate and Rep. Garrett Graves, R-Baton Rouge, in the House.

The bipartisan legislation would create a permanent and independent board to study the underlying causes of disaster-related deaths and property damage nationwide. The National Disaster Safety Board will make recommendations to all levels of government on how to improve the resiliency of communities across the country.

"Americans across the country from the Gulf Coast to California are dealing with the results of natural disasters," Cassidy said in a news release. "By establishing a natural disaster safety board, lessons learned from past disasters save lives and perhaps even prevent future disasters."

Currently, policymakers rely on a patchwork of studies, after-action reports, audits and media reports to understand the impact of natural disasters, which are inconsistent and vulnerable to political pressure, the bill's authors said. Co-sponsors include Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Katie Porter, D-Calif.

"We continue to repeat the same two mistakes when it comes to natural disasters -- preparation and response," Graves said. "As a result, thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars have needlessly been lost."

Graves, whose district includes northern Terrebonne and Lafourche, said he has long advocated for the need to invest in resiliency projects before, rather than after, storms.

"The National Transportation Safety Board has saved countless lives by carefully examining the causes of transportation accidents and identifying life-saving safety improvements to airplanes, trains, pipelines and vessels," Graves said.

The NTSB's reviews and recommendations are considered a gold standard internationally, the lawmakers said, adding that the agency's work is partly responsible for a 99% reduction in air-travel deaths since 1960.

Like the transportation board, the new disaster panel would be independent, the bill's sponsors said. Its seven members will be chosen for their experience in emergency management, public health, engineering, social and behavioral sciences and experience working at the state and local level and with vulnerable communities.

The legislation is endorsed by several groups that deal with disasters, including the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, American Society of Civil Engineers, Natural Resources Defense Council, Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management, the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Association of State Floodplain Managers.

___

(c)2020 The Houma Courier, La.

Visit The Houma Courier, La. at www.houmatoday.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.