[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 10, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





             IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, we have seen how climate change has made 
natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tornadoes, more frequent and 
much more severe.
  This is not the time to debate climate change. This is the time to 
act on it. And the best time to act, the best time to prepare for 
natural disasters is before they occur.
  September is National Preparedness Month. It is the perfect time to 
celebrate the brave men and women who respond when a crisis happens and 
the perfect time to coordinate our emergency response efforts.
  We need to be ready for the next emergency before it strikes. As 
chairman of the Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery 
Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security, I want FEMA and 
other Federal agencies to have the power and resources to coordinate 
relief efforts before, during, and after an emergency happens.
  We do not have to relive the horrors of Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, 
and Maria. Let us be proactive about the next disaster instead of 
waiting until it strikes.

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