Press Releases

Today, Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08) held a press conference at the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority’s new headquarters in Forty Fort to announce The PREPARE Act, (H.R. 4177), legislation he’s introducing this week to improve government readiness for extreme weather disasters.

Co-sponsored by Republican representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), David Rouzer (N.C.), Doug LaMalfa (CA), and Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (Puerto Rico), The PREPARE Act (Preparedness and Risk management for Extreme weather Patterns Assuring Resilience) also serves as a major milestone in Rep. Cartwright’s service as a U.S. legislator, marking the 150^th bipartisan bill he’s introduced, the most of any Democratic member of Congress during his tenure.

“As we experience another potentially busy hurricane season, we must remember that floods, heat waves, wildfires and drought are not just becoming more and more frequent, they’re becoming a regular phenomenon,” said Rep. Cartwright. “To save lives and reduce federal fiscal exposure, I am pleased to be leading the charge for improving our nation’s resilience to extreme weather events with my bipartisan, zero-cost PREPARE Act.”

Building off existing mitigation and resilience efforts, The PREPARE Act would create an interagency council charged with developing recommendations for federal agencies to strengthen their planning and preparation for extreme weather incidents. The bill also highlights the responsibilities of state and local governments in resilience planning and directs federal agencies to make best practices and the best available extreme weather data available to assist them.

A coalition of over 50 business and thought leaders supports this legislation, including the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, PennFuture, the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, and the National Wildlife Federation.

“Through the PREPARE Act, the Federal government will assist municipalities and other forms of local governments, like the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority, to better prepare for extreme weather impacts,” said Chris Belleman, executive director of the LCFPA. “By assisting communities with improved planning and communication, we can better protect their residents and infrastructure against future extreme weather events. With extreme weather events occurring more often, this legislation will be beneficial to Northeastern Pennsylvania communities.”

The PREPARE Act will also save taxpayer dollars by requiring agencies to incorporate extreme weather in planning activities and by establishing a regional coordination plan to ensure greater coordination and information sharing to ensure cost-effectiveness.

“We applaud Representative Cartwright and other Congressional leaders, who clearly recognize the need for improving federal response to extreme weather events such as floods, wildfires and droughts. As extreme weather become more frequent, communities need reliable solutions that protect people and property and safeguard river health,” said Heather Taylor-Miesle, senior vice president, Advocacy & Regional Conservation at American Rivers.

Last year, the costliest U.S. weather and climate disasters did an estimated US$145 billion in damage and claimed at least 688 lives, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced in January 2022.

Penn State’s most recent Climate Impacts Assessment, in a section devoted to the current and expected climate impact on the Northeast, describes a future where increased flooding and heavier precipitation in Pennsylvania will challenge riverbank communities and overwhelm infrastructure built with an outdated sense of a "normal" climate in mind.

According to the Penn State study, the region already has seen the greatest increase in extreme rain and snow events in recent decades of any area of the country. The amount of precipitation falling in "very heavy events" increased 74 percent in the Northeast over the past 55 years, the report also finds.