As National Preparedness Month Congressional Co-Chair, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Commemorates NPM with a Focus on Preparing Asian American Communities for Disasters

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) marked the start of National Preparedness Month, during which she will serve as National Preparedness Month Congressional Co-Chair for 2024. This year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) set a National Preparedness Month theme focused on empowering Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities by removing barriers the community faces for disaster preparedness.

"Preparing ahead of a disaster can make all the difference in keeping our families and loved ones safe," said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. "I am glad to serve as Congressional Co-Chair and to work with FEMA this National Preparedness Month to help empower our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander neighbors to be prepared and to ensure this important community has access to culturally competent preparedness materials to be more resilient. FEMA plays a critical role in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, and I look forward to assisting with efforts across our communities."

Since her first term in Congress, Congresswoman Fletcher has been an advocate for improving disaster preparedness and response. Her first bill introduced in Congress was the Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects (HELP) Act, H.R. 1917, bipartisan legislation that eliminates unnecessary bureaucratic delays by allowing certain eligible disaster mitigation projects to begin without the risk of losing potential federal funds. In 2023, the HELP Act was signed into law.

She also introduced the Bipartisan Disaster Recovery Funding Act of 2019, H.R. 2761, which released federal recovery funds to Texas to mitigate damage from Hurricane Harvey. In 2024, she secured completion of the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study to protect the region from future storms. Additionally, she has secured more than $20 million of funding for detention basins and other resiliency projects for Houston through government funding bills. In 2023, she co-founded the bipartisan Flooding Resiliency Caucus.