ICC heads to the hill |
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| On Nov. 2, the International Code Council (ICC) attended a hearing about "Emergency Response and Recovery: Central Takeaways from the Unprecedented 2017 Hurricane Season." The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing was the first step in reexamining and ensuring that federal partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are provided with the necessary tools to help communities recover from disasters. The discussion identified solutions that can aid in reducing future loss of life, lower the rising cost of disasters and speed recovery.
During the hearing, FEMA Administrator Brock Long discussed the importance of shifting resources to pre-disaster efforts in order to reduce infrastructure damage and loss of life following a storm. "Hearings such as this provide opportunities for the Code Council to enforce the message that pre-disaster mitigation, and specifically the adoption and enforcement of the latest model building codes, save lives and property," said ICC Vice President of Government Relations for Federal Activities Chris Ochoa. Others in attendance included Vice Admiral Karl L. Schultz of the U.S. Coast Guard, Major General Donald E. Jackson of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. |