Emergency Response and Natural Disasters
Enhancing Rhode Island's Emergency & Disaster Preparedness
Rhode Island's coastal location makes it susceptible to natural disasters such as flooding, hurricanes, and snowstorms.
The best way to cope with a natural disaster and limit the damage is to plan ahead and be prepared. In an effort to protect Rhode Islanders before disaster strikes, Senator Reed has supported forward-thinking measures to enhance our emergency preparedness and improve our critical infrastructure.
Reed has worked hard to secure federal funding for local communities to create a unified, interoperable, emergency communications system so that first responders, local police, and homeland security officials can talk and exchange data with each other during emergencies.
A member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, Reed has secured millions of dollars to update vital drainage systems across the state to prevent flooding during heavy rains. He secured funding for a Flood Plain and Watershed Management Study of the Pocasset River to determine the extent and severity of flooding within the watershed, develop new flood plain maps for the Pocasset River, and provide recommendations to mitigate and prevent additional flooding, and resulting damages, in the future.
He also authored the National Flood Mapping Act, which the Senate recently passed, to help modernize flood maps. This legislation will improve the maps the federal government uses to predict the risk of flooding. Reed's flood mapping initiative is a cornerstone of the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act, which the Senate passed by a vote of 92 to 6. The bill also strengthens and extends the National Flood Insurance Program for another five years, ensuring that homeowners and businesses situated in flood-prone regions have access to affordable insurance.
Rhode Island has more than 600 dams, many of which are in need of repair. Senator Reed is a cosponsor of the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act to provide federal funding to repair publicly-owned dams that do not meet safety standards.
Learn more about Senator Reed's efforts to provide our first responders with the tools they need and strengthen Rhode Island's homeland security.
Recent News:
U.S. Senate Passes Bill Containing Reed's Flood Mapping Provision
Cumberland and Western Coventry Fire Districts to Receive Federal Funds
Key Senate Committee Approves Reed Bill to Improve Federal Coastal Flood Maps
Rhode Island Receives Over $1.8 Million for Hospital Preparedness Program
Again, being prepared in advance is the best way to deal with a natural disaster. Here are some online resources to help get you started:
Outside Links:
RI Emergency Management Agency
RI Hurricane Preparedness Center
Providence Journal Series on Hurricanes with Evacuation Maps
