The Natural Disaster Education and Outreach Act establishes a federal program to communicate critical safety information and patterns in changing weather to local governments, assisting with emergency planning

This is Senator Reverend Warnock’s latest effort to protect Georgia communities from extreme weather events like the recent destruction caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton

Senator Reverend Warnock: “These storms are only expected to become stronger and more frequent, making it critical we use every tool at our disposal to be better prepared and informed to save lives and protect communities”

Senator Welch: “As climate change worsens, ensuring communities have every resource they need to prepare and adapt to extreme weather events is crucial”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Natural Disaster Education and Outreach Act, legislation that would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a program that would communicate critical safety information and patterns in changing weather to local governments, helping inform their emergency planning. This program’s mission would focus on providing communities and local governments with cutting-edge services to assist with crucial decisions about resource allocation and emergency preparedness before a disaster occurs.  

The bills will help communities better understand and identify the risks posed by extreme weather and provide state and local officials, small business owners, farmers, and homeowners with crucial information to adapt and respond to ongoing disasters.  

“Georgia communities have been devastated by hurricanes and other extreme weather events in recent years, and these storms are only expected to become stronger and more frequent, making it critical we use every tool at our disposal to be better prepared and informed to save lives and protect communities,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “The Natural Disaster Education and Outreach Act would provide local governments with the services needed to strengthen emergency preparedness and better educate the public about shifting weather patterns. I’ll continue working with Senator Welch to get this done and keep Georgians safe.”

“The impacts of extreme weather events—lives lost, families displaced from their homes, forced closure of small businesses—are felt for years after disaster strikes. We’ve seen it in Vermont with brutal back-to-back floods. As climate change worsens, ensuring communities have every resource they need to prepare and adapt to extreme weather events is crucial,” said Senator Welch. “These bills will help communities access and better understand the unique risks posed by a changing climate.” 

In recent years, extreme weather events have inflicted a heavy toll on communities across the country. In 2023, NOAA reported that the U.S. experienced 28 disasters causing more than $1 billion in damage, a historic high. In total, the price tag of recovering from these disasters is estimated to be at least $92.9 billion. While federal agencies such as NOAA collect massive amounts of data and weather observations, state and local governments rarely see it—leaving them un-prepared and at-risk of greater damage from extreme weather. Damages caused to Georgia’s agriculture economy by Hurricane Helene are roughly estimated to cost $5.5 billion.

Since coming to Congress, Senator Warnock has continuously worked to provide and strengthen federal support for communities impacted by extreme weather events, and he has championed legislation to help Georgians defend against the worst consequences of severe weather. The Senator previously introduced the bipartisan Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act, to help farmers replace trees lost to severe weather with more resilient varieties, as well as the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act to help survivors of natural disasters access housing assistance. This is one of several efforts Senator Warnock has led in order to help Georgian communities rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Helene and to protect them from future extreme weather events. Last year, Senator Warnock and 11 of his colleagues voted to pass the bipartisan TORNADO Act which would require NOAA to update its methods for predicting and communicating weather alerts to residents. This will improve the forecasting and help Georgians better understand how they may be impacted by tornadoes and other hazardous weather. 

The Natural Disaster Education and Outreach Act can be found HERE.

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