SLS 19RS-55 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 55
BY SENATOR MORRISH
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH. Designates September 1 thru 7, 2019, as Resiliency
Week in Louisiana.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To designate the week of September 1 through September 7, 2019, as Resiliency Week in
3 Louisiana.
4 WHEREAS, hazard mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by
5 lessening the impact of disasters, such as the 2016 floods in Louisiana and numerous recent
6 hurricanes and storms, and it is most effective when implemented under a comprehensive,
7 long-term mitigation plan; and
8 WHEREAS, the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, administered by the Federal
9 Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is designed to assist states and local communities
10 in implementing a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program; and
11 WHEREAS, federal legislation recently signed into law, the Disaster Recovery
12 Reform Act, makes available new dollars for states and communities to undertake pre-
13 disaster mitigation measures and creates new incentives for states to build resiliently; and
14 WHEREAS, since 1908, natural disasters have cost this country more than one
15 trillion dollars; and
16 WHEREAS, disasters affect local and state economies in lost payrolls, lost sales and
17 income tax revenue, and increased disaster recovery times; and
18 WHEREAS, according to a FEMA-commissioned study conducted by the National
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SLS 19RS-55 ORIGINAL
1 Institute of Building Sciences, every dollar spent on hazard mitigation provides the nation
2 with six dollars in future benefits; and
3 WHEREAS, twenty-five percent of small businesses impacted by a natural disaster
4 never reopen their doors; and
5 WHEREAS, September is National Preparedness Month in recognition of the need
6 for all Americans to prepare and plan for recovery after a disaster; and
7 WHEREAS, mitigation planning is a key process used to break the cycle of disaster
8 damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage; and
9 WHEREAS, effective pre-disaster mitigation reduces the demand for relief services
10 on volunteer organizations such as disaster rescue and recovery teams, along with food
11 banks and homeless shelters that serve communities by changing their operations to provide
12 additional services to those affected by disaster; and
13 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature honors brave women and men who, as first
14 responders, selflessly provide aid in a disaster to safeguard the lives of the people; and
15 WHEREAS, the legislature encourages Louisiana communities to build resiliently
16 and develop long-range mitigation strategies for protecting people and property, particularly
17 in a state that has widespread low elevations and is threatened by hurricanes nearly every
18 year.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
20 designate the week of September 1 through September 7, 2019, as Resiliency Week in
21 Louisiana.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
23 Paul T. Martin, Regional Vice President of NAMIC.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SCR 55 Original 2019 Regular Session Morrish
Designates the week of September 1 through September 7, 2019, as Resiliency Week in
Louisiana.
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