Lynn C. Woolsey: “first let me indicate my very strong support for H.R. 1184, which will reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazard…”

“first let me indicate my very strong support for H.R. 1184, which will reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, NEHRP. Since its inception in 1977, and particularly in the last decade, NEHRP has been successful in assessing how earthquakes affect us and what we can do to prepare for the next one. Too bad they cannot prevent earthquakes from happening in the first place. NEHRP has been reaching out to State and local officials, improving building codes, and assessing the level of seismic risk in different areas across the country. This is a very important program, especially in my Congressional District, which has the San Andreas Fault running through it. During the Committee on Science markup of this bill, I was pleased that my amendment to H.R. 1184 was unanimously accepted and is in the bill today. My amendment directs FEMA to report on the element that addresses the needs of at-risk populations. Specifically, this includes the elderly, the non-English speaking, persons with disabilities, single parent households and the poor. There are risk factors that cannot be determined by seismological or engineering research and analysis. These risks deal with the social culture and the economic factors that are presented nationwide when there is a disaster. I am aware that the National Science Foundation, which is a part of NEHRP, supports social sciences research, and I am aware how this research relates to at-risk populations.”