What's New

Congressional Briefing on Disaster Response - Critical Infrastructure and Workforce - Who Will Respond?
The Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and the Hazards Caucus Alliance in cooperation with the Congressional Hazards Caucus invites you to this public briefing on Disaster Response - Critical Infrastructure and Workforce - Who Will Respond? on April 15, 2008 in the Rayburn Office Building, Room 2325 at 3:00 pm.

Congressional Briefing on Flood Maps and Reducing Community Flood Risks
The Association of Flood , Dewberry Inc. , URS Corporation and the Hazards Caucus Alliance in cooperation with
the Congressional Hazards Caucus invites you to a public briefing on Flood Maps and Reducing Community Flood Risks on April 10, 2008 in the Rayburn Office Building, Room 2325. Floods are the second most deadly natural disaster in the U.S. after heat waves. On average, 140 lives and $6 billion worth of property are lost every year. Understanding the management, science, engineering and implementation of flood maps is one step to reducing risk. In addition, education and public outreach to local communities about these flood maps can help save lives and mitigate damage.

Congressional Briefing on Improving Tsunami Warnings Nationwide
The IRIS Consortium, the Seismological Society of America, the Geological Society of America, and the American Geophysical Union in cooperation with the Hazards Caucus Alliance invites you to a public briefing on Improving Tsunami Warnings Nationwide on March 14, 2008 in United States Capitol, Room HC-7. After more than 200,000 people died from the December 2004 Sumatra earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunami, US Government agencies quickly addressed the question “What must we do to protect ourselves from similar events?”

Congressional Briefing on Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest
The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology and the Seismological Society of America in coordination with the Congressional Hazards Caucus and the Congressional Hazards Caucus Alliance invites you to a public briefing on: Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest on October 11, 2007 in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2325. The Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 that killed more than 200,000 people and devastated several countries was a reminder of the power of earthquakes and tsunamis. The Pacific Northwest is vulnerable to both and this briefing will discuss our understanding of these events, efforts to plan and prepare for the worst case scenario and efforts to mitigate the impact of such events on people and the built environment.

Congressional Briefing on Drought
The Geological Society of America in association with the Congressional Hazards Caucus and the Hazards Caucus Alliance invites you to a public briefing on "Managing Drought and Water Scarcity in Vulnerable Environments - A Roadmap for Change in the United States" on July 18, 2007. Recent episodes of drought coupled with rapidly expanding populations in the water-short western states and in the southeast, have raised substantial concern about our current crisis-based approach to drought management. A national drought conference, "Managing Drought and Water Scarcity in Vulnerable Environments", was held in September 2006. This conference has resulted in the preparation of a document entitled "A Roadmap for Change in Drought Management". This roadmap recommends the adoption of a new paradigm for proactive drought management. This briefing will present the key recommendations from the roadmap and the conference.

Congressional Briefing on Hurricane Research
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), American Geophysical Union (AGU), National Weather Center, and The Weather Coalition in association with the Congressional Hazards Caucus and the Hazards Caucus Alliance invite you to a briefing on "A National Hurricane Research Initiative: Meeting Society's Needs" on July 10, 2007. Legislation before the House and Senate would implement the recommendations of the January 2007 National Science Board (NSB) report Hurricane Warning by creating a National Hurricane Research Initiative. A panel of experts will discuss recent advances and future priorities for hurricane research, and benefits for real-world needs including improved operational forecasts, warnings and emergency response.

Congressional Briefing on the New Madrid Fault Zone
Congressional Hazards Caucus Alliance will hold a briefing on "The New Madrid Fault Zone: Geology, Engineering and Emergency Management to Reduce Earthquake Risks" on June 30, 2007. Speakers will include Arthur Frankel, Denver Federal Center, USGS, Amr Elnashai, Mid-Atlantic Earthquake Center, and David Maxwell, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

Congressional Briefing on Coastal Vulnerabilities
The Disasters Roundtable of the National Academies in cooperation with the Congressional Hazards Caucus Alliance and the Coastal States Organization will hold a briefing on "Protecting Lives and Property at the Coastlines" on March 29, 2007. Speakers will include Judith Kildow, National Ocean Economics Program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Carl Hedde, Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. Jim Baker, former NOAA Administrator, Gavin Smith, Mississippi Governor's Office of Recovery and Margaret Davidson, NOAA Coastal Services Center.

Congressional Briefing on HAZUS [POSTPONED; STAY TUNED FOR NEW DATE]
The Congressional Hazards Caucus Alliance in cooperation with the Congressional Hazards Caucus will hold a briefing on Friday, March 2, 2007, on "HAZUS". HAZUS is a powerful risk assessment software program for analyzing potential losses from floods, hurricane winds and earthquakes that is nationally applicable and uses standardized methodology. HAZUS was developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under contract with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). In HAZUS, current scientific and engineering knowledge is coupled with the latest geographic information systems (GIS) technology to produce estimates of hazard-related damage before or after a disaster occurs. Loss estimates include physical damage to buildings and infrastructure; economic loss including lost jobs, business interruptions, repair and reconstruction costs; and social impacts including estimates of shelter requirements, displaced households, and population exposed to scenario disasters. This briefing will describe the role of HAZUS in defining the value of pre-disaster planning and mitigation by highlighting examples of federal, state and local applications and provide some vision for the future of HAZUS for risk reduction and response enhancement. (2/22/07)

Congressional Briefing on Communications
The Congressional Hazards Caucus Alliance in cooperation with the Congressional Hazards Caucus will hold a briefing on Thursday, February 8, 2007, on "End to End Disaster Communications". The briefing will feature an introduction by Congressman Jo Bonner on the importance of human communications. Speakers and panelists from NOAA, FEMA, USGS, the American Signal Corporation, RESPOND® Emergency Management Consortium and the Alabama State Emergency Manager will discuss communications before, during and after a hazardous event. The briefing will be proceeded by an introduction to the Caucus and followed by a panel discussion. Please join us starting at 3:00 pm in room 2325 of Rayburn House Office Building. (2/2/07)

...more events >>>

Updated Status of Hazards-Related Legislation
More than a year after the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused by the Sumatra earthquake on December 26, 2004, Hurricane Katrina and a record-breaking number of Atlantic Ocean storms in 2005 and another devastating earthquake in Pakistan in 2005 Congress continues to consider measures to address natural and man-made hazards. A list of hazard-related legislation provides an updated look at how the 110th Congress is addressing these concerns. (3/30/07)

What's New Archive >>>

About the Hazards Caucus

The caucus provides Members with information and education on preparing for, mitigating against and responding to natural disasters and man-made hazards. The caucus provides Members with an opportunity to demonstrate their concern and commitment to reducing hazard losses. The caucus is led by four co-chairs in the Senate, Senator Ted Stevens (AK), Senator Mary Landrieu (LA), Senator Jim DeMint (SC) and Senator Ben Nelson (NE) and by four co-chairs in the House, Representative Wayne Gilchrest (MD), Representative Dennis Moore (KS), Representative Jo Bonner (AL) and Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA). A one page summary of the Caucus is available as a pdf document.

About the Hazards Caucus Alliance

The primary goal of the Hazards Caucus Alliance is to develop a wider understanding within Congress that reducing the risks and costs of natural disasters, as well as man-made hazards, is a public value.  That requires educating Members and staff about the costs of these disasters to their districts and states, and the benefits their constituents will realize through greater efforts to understand, prevent, and mitigate all hazards. The alliance supports the efforts of the caucus, originally established under the leadership of co-chairs Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Senator John Edwards (D-NC) in 2000. A successful caucus reflects a strong partnership between its congressional members and organizations outside Congress that share similar interests. This effort is an outgrowth of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) 2000 forums on public policy issues in natural disaster reduction, a cooperative endeavor of the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction, the Institute for Business and Home Safety, and other private sector organizations.

Why a Congressional Hazards Caucus?

Jurisdiction for hazards programs, both natural and man-made, is spread among many committees in Congress. Each committee only handles a piece of the overall efforts to prevent and mitigate hazards. A caucus can provide the "big picture" to interested lawmakers and their staff, and give them the opportunity to see how the issues that fall within individual committee jurisdictions fit within a larger national effort. Typical caucus events include Capitol Hill luncheon briefings, roundtable discussions, special forums, receptions, and events targeted to a subgroup of the caucus. Events can also be structured so that they also provide a forum for raising the visibility of a hazards-related topic with the media and the public.

Shared Objectives

• Focus greater attention in Congress on the natural and technological hazards facing the nation and improve understanding of the need to mitigate against the impacts of floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides and land subsidence, tornadoes, volcanoes, wind storms, drought, fire, and tsunamis.

• Enhance the integration of science and engineering in land-use planning and building code development.

• Strengthen public and private support for science and engineering research by demonstrating how advances in science and engineering research can be applied to save lives and money.

• Support the implementation of new technologies, such as geographic information systems, to address societal challenges faced by state and local government and the private sector.

• Identify additional areas of consensus and common interests related to hazards.

Alliance Participants

The Hazards Caucus Alliance is an information network of professional, scientific, and engineering societies, relief organizations, higher education associations, institutions of higher learning, trade associations, and private companies. The alliance has come together with a common desire to reduce the toll -- both human and financial -- of both natural and man-made hazards and to enhance the nation's ability to recover from those events. We plan to work together to help our nation become more resilient to all hazards.

For More Information

The alliance is currently seeking additional congressional members to join the caucus as well as organizations interested in joining the alliance. Please contact Linda Rowan at the American Geological Institute (703-379-2480, ext. 228; rowan@agiweb.org)

Contributed by Katie Ackerly and Linda Rowan, AGI Government Affairs Staff; Erin Gleeson, 2007 AGI/AAPG Spring Intern

Posted: June 11, 2000; Last updated May 21, 2007

Please send any comments or questions about this web site to Linda Rowan.