As Yet Another Category 4 Storm Hammers the U.S., Congressman Krishnamoorthi Calls Again on FEMA to Account for Climate Change Impacts on Extreme Weather Events

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Congressman Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement following Monday’s report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the arrival of Category 4 Storm, Hurricane Michael:

“Today, our thoughts are with the victims of Hurricane Michael.  That said, this past week, the IPCC released a thorough but damning report which proves what we already know: climate change is one of the gravest threats to the health, safety, and economic prosperity of our children’s future and will aggravate the impact of every adverse weather event including Hurricane Michael. The devastating impacts of climate change are already playing out in our communities from the coasts to the heartland, leading to a severe uptick in both the scale and severity of natural disasters such as Hurricane Michael. That’s why it’s absolutely unfathomable that the Federal Emergency Management Agency continues to operate under a 38-page, 5 year ‘Strategic Plan’ that contains not a single mention of climate change. To mitigate the impact of catastrophic natural disasters that are ravaging communities across the United States, FEMA needs to get serious about climate change, and must include changes in global temperatures and weather patterns as determining factors in how it predicts extreme weather and prepares for the future. Failure to do so will increase damages and rebuilding costs, and will cause irreparable harm to both the environmental sustainability and economic prosperity of our country.”