Pew Commends Alabama Leaders for Bill to Strengthen Long-Term Disaster Resilience

WASHINGTON-The Pew Charitable Trusts today praised Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and the state Legislature for the passage and signing of S.B. 137 to help Alabama reduce long-term disaster risk and better protect communities, infrastructure, and the economy. Pew also recognizes the leadership of the bill's sponsors, Senator Steve Livingston and Representative Chip Brown (H.B. 179), for advancing this important legislation.

The new law has three main provisions. It creates a chief resilience officer position with responsibility for coordinating resilience efforts-proactive measures that diminish the effects of potential disaster events. It requires development, maintenance, and implementation of a statewide resilience plan informed by a comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessment. And finally, the law also formalizes a cross-agency resilience council to support this work and improve coordination with local leaders and private sector partners.

Alabama has already shown that investments made before disasters strike can reduce losses. The state's Strengthen Alabama Homes program, for example, has helped homeowners make upgrades that reduce property damage, and research after Hurricane Sally found that homes with reinforced roofing systems experienced substantially fewer insurance claims and lower losses-evidence that risk reduction can pay off for families and insurers alike.

Mathew Sanders, a senior officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts' U.S. conservation project, issued the following statement:

"By supporting S.B. 137, Governor Ivey and the Alabama legislature are taking a meaningful step to make disaster risk reduction a durable function of state government. A chief resilience officer and statewide resilience plan will help facilitate coordination across agencies, improve access to better risk information, and prioritize long-term actions that protect people, property, and economic stability before the next disaster occurs. Pew commends the state's leadership in enacting this important bill for the benefit of all Alabamans."