Acting FEMA Chief Shares Changes, Makes Recommendations for Preparing Nation for Strengthening Storms

With five weeks to go until the start of hurricane season, acting FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor has shared some of the changes his agency has made changes to better handle increasingly severe storms. That includes keeping more supplies in places such as Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska, which can be harder to reach in emergencies. Congress has also given FEMA the ability to spend more money preparing communities for disasters, which is cheaper than rebuilding afterward. As with his predecessor, former FEMA Administrator Brock Long, Gaynor is also imploring all Americans to take responsibility for preparing themselves and their communities for the possibility of natural disasters. Gaynor’s specific recommendations include encouraging people to get insurance for the hazards they face and to heed evacuation warnings and for local and state governments to adopt building codes that address the threats posed by increasingly severe storms. “It’s going to be a perennial challenge,” Gaynor said. “To change the culture is hard to do.” Read the article at Emergency Management.