Presidential Message on National Preparedness Month

This National Preparedness Month, my Administration recommits to ensuring that every American community has the resources and support they need and deserve, so that when disaster strikes, our State and Federal governments are prepared-and our citizens are safe and secure.

Tragically, over the last year, natural disasters have ravaged nearly every region of our country. In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Erin, catastrophic flooding in Texas, and blazing fires in California, countless families have borne power outages, severe structural damage, unthinkable injuries, and death. I send my thoughts and prayers to the families of those who have lost loved ones, and to all those who have been displaced and subjected to suffering. To every unsung hero who has helped with recovery efforts, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

These tragedies remind us of the importance of disaster preparedness and having a plan in place before crisis strikes. My Administration encourages every citizen to sign up for alerts on their mobile devices, set aside savings for emergencies, prepare a disaster supply kit, and speak with their children on how to best respond to emergencies.

Under the previous administration, in the face of tragedy, my predecessor outrageously allocated Federal resources on the basis of political ideology and diverted disaster response funds to illegal immigrants and left-wing Government programs. Meanwhile, when wildfires erupted in California earlier this year, State leaders made extremely poor decisions that endangered the lives of the citizens they took an oath to serve. In recent months and years, these so-called leaders have prioritized the Green New Scam agenda and far-left "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" ideology, and have fired first responders for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, California was left totally unprepared. Public responders were unable to tame the blaze because of dry hydrants, empty reservoirs, and inadequate water infrastructure. At least 30 people died, while survivors have been left with hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.

Following 4 years of weak disaster response, the American people now have a Government that actively responds to their needs in times of crisis and disaster. In the first week of my term, I established a Task Force to assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency's ability to address disasters. To avert the effects of harmful State and local policies, I signed an Executive Order to expedite response and recovery efforts to the people of California, including the largest wildfire hazardous waste cleanup in the history of the Environmental Protection Agency.

This month, we recommit to ensuring every American community is fully prepared when disaster strikes. We pledge to work alongside State and local leaders to prepare for the needs of our citizens-and we express our unending thanks to every heroic first responder who embodies the strength and determination of the American spirit.