Hurricane Ian - and Federal Disaster Response

shocking images coming out of Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. {NAME}. I'm sure many of us woke up this morning to the shocking images coming out of Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. There's, unfortunately, a sense of familiarity there: our district has also been hammered by natural disasters - such as Paradise and Greenville to the Camp and Dixie Fires respectively. Two big factors are driving these disasters: 1) Poor human choices. For us, that means poorly maintained forests that are vulnerable to massive fires. In Florida, and many low-lying coastal communities, it means home construction that is frankly irresponsible. 2) Climate change: yes, it's real, and it's driving weather patterns that are more erratic and more dangerous. Ignoring it, like LaMalfa, just makes us more vulnerable. So what do we do about these issues as a country? First, we need to take a more active role in managing forests and protecting coastal communities. Second, we need to admit that climate change is a real man-made phenomenon, start reducing our emissions, and start incorporating higher climate risks into our disaster preparations. I'll close this email out by noting how important it is for the federal government to fix the way it handles disaster assistance - which is frankly terrible. FEMA provides short-term assistance (such as temporary trailers for those who have lost their homes) but it often takes months to arrive and is generally terminated after a year or so. It's expensive, slow, and ineffective. Later, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is supposed to manage the long-term rebuilding effort, but the process is routed through local governments and often takes 2+ years to get going. I could write a lot more about the issue, but we have to do better than that as a country. [If you're interested you can read on here.]( Compounding all of this is the lack of available insurance. Only 40% of the houses in "high-flood risk" areas of Florida have insurance. Here in CD-1 many rural homeowners are being priced out of fire insurance. Insurance companies aren't charities, and climate change is driving up the risk - and with it the price - of insuring homes. That makes fixing government assistance more important though. The GOP has no plan here - because they don't want the government to do anything (except regulate women's reproductive systems apparently). DeSantis wasted $12 million on flying migrants around the country and now - one week later - is asking the federal government for a bailout. This is even more ironic because DeSantis' first vote in Congress (before he was governor) was to deny disaster funding to New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. [Doug LaMalfa voted against the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill]( as well. Why? Because, like DeSantis, LaMalfa only wants the government to help people like him - people that vote Republican. It's morally indefensible. V/R, Max [Donate]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Paid for by Max Steiner for Congress 2485 Notre Dame Blvd, Ste 370 #194 Chico, CA 95928 Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Max Steiner For Congress, please [click here](.