Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-02) sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to modernize federal policies and procedures so that the people most affected by natural disasters get the help they need to get back on their feet and communities are stronger and better protected than before. The letter was sent in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and included long-term disaster principles that the CBC would like the federal government to adopt. President Trump was copied on both the letter and principles.

“Bad recovery policies can also destroy a community by turning a natural disaster into a manmade one,” Chairman Richmond said. “The key to a successful recovery is making sure that it includes everyone, allows people to participate in their own recovery, and invests in mitigation to ensure that communities are rebuilt stronger than before. When these conditions are not met, recovery is uneven and communities remain vulnerable to future disasters. This is particularly true for poor and minority communities.”

In addition to the letter, Chairman Richmond sent a list of eight disaster principles to congressional leaders. Some of the principles would require new legislation and others would require amendments to the Stafford Act.

“After a disaster, Americans look out for each other. We should make sure the federal government is looking out for them too,” Chairman Richmond said. “These commonsense principles would improve our disaster recovery efforts by making programs more efficient, getting help to the people and places that need it most, and planting the seed for stronger and faster recoveries.”

Full text of this letter is attached and online. An excerpt from the letter is below:

Hurricane Katrina 

“In my hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, we are still recovering not only from Katrina, but also from the failed response to the storm. We cannot let that happen again. We cannot accept individual families and whole communities being left out of the recovery this time. We need to give people the tools and resources they need to lead their own individual recovery and to participate in the recovery of their entire community. We need to modernize our approach to disaster recovery and the Congressional Black Caucus has suggestions to do just that.”