Working together to make low-income communities safer from natural disasters

The architects of America’s burgeoning disaster safety movement achieved a critical success in June 2009 when 250 leading scientists, environmentalists, emergency managers, housing and mitigation experts gathered in Washington, D.C. at the Safe Homes for All Leadership Forum. At the event, panels focused on the unique challenges faced by low-income populations in natural disasters, innovative and cost-effective technologies for affordable housing including multi-family structures, best practices for community preparedness and evacuation planning, as well as the legislative and regulatory developments affecting at-risk communities.

A Forum highlight included a key address from Representative Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, who announced the introduction of innovative, forward-looking disaster preparedness legislation that would focus on reducing the risk of loss of life and property proactively, rather than on increasingly expensive post-disaster response.