Earl Blumenauer: “Last night the House approved disaster assistance for citizens in Florida. Our hearts go out, for it is appropriate for…”

“Last night the House approved disaster assistance for citizens in Florida. Our hearts go out, for it is appropriate for us to step in and do what we can. But we need to do more. There is a big difference in loss from storms, floods and wildfires, depending on what people do in advance to protect themselves. It is time for the Federal Government to add assistance to do it right, in planning, zoning and building codes, if we create the right balance of policy so fewer people are at risk, we are also kinder to the taxpayers. We know what to do. I hope we do not have any more supplementals where we do not provide assistance to help people protect themselves to avoid these problems in the first place.”