Rep. Frost's bill to fix gaps in hurricane prep passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) announced his bipartisan bill, the Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act (H.R. 6080) to save lives in the event of a hurricane or tropical storm has passed the House as part of a larger legislative package, the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R.6093).

Frost’s bill would ensure that hurricane preparedness tools, alerts, and planning systems would address the needs of seniors, people with disabilities, non-English speakers, and rural and urban populations.

“Whether you’re a senior, someone living with a disability, a non-English speaker, or a Floridian living in a rural community – our emergency communications systems need to be able to reach folks where they’re at – efficiently and effectively,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost. “I’m proud to say that my bipartisan Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act will do just that by focusing on how every single person in our communities is able to prepare themselves for the worst mother nature sends our way. My legislation and the Weather Act will help save lives.”

Specifically, the Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act would require the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to review how these populations receive and react to emergency notifications and evaluate how these folks are able to prepare themselves in the event of a hurricane. Closing these gaps has proven to be critical, as two-thirds or more of the fatalities from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Florence in 2018, and Hurricane Ian in 2022 were people over 60 years old. And all of Hurricane Dorian’s Central Florida fatalities were people aged 56 to 86. 

The Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R.6093) is a bipartisan legislative package that includes the Fixing Gaps in Hurricane Preparedness Act. This comprehensive reauthorization extends and enhances critical components of America's weather forecasting, research, and emergency preparedness systems and improves public communication and response to weather alerts, increasing the safety and preparedness of communities across the nation.