Published
May 15, 2025
The growing frequency and cost of natural disasters continue to decimate homes, businesses, and communities from coast to coast. National security risks also present readiness challenges to the nation, with infrastructure systems and community lifelines targeted.
More than 250 industry experts and practitioners gathered at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in early May for the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Building Resilience Conference, an annual event centered around anticipating future risks, improving efficiency, strengthening cross-sector collaboration, managing costs related to preparedness and recovery, and measuring impact. During the event, I moderated a panel with leaders from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, and Rice University, to explore the benefits of mitigation strategies, including economic savings and enhanced public safety.
At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, we know that community resilience is a cornerstone of national stability. Investing in resilience not only protects lives and property but also fortifies the nation's ability to thrive in the face of challenges.
Our country is in need of a more vigorous, proactive, and effective policy posture. Reducing disaster risks can help ensure national competitiveness.
By the numbers:
- There were 24 events during 2024 that exceeded $1 billion in damages, continuing a generational trend.
- Every $1 invested in predisaster mitigation saves $13 in economic savings and cleanup regardless of the cause of the disaster, according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Chamber, Chamber Foundation, and Allstate.
Why it matters: Investing ahead of the next crisis will reduce detrimental impacts on jobs, GDP, and income, meaning local communities and people can recover more quickly and support further economic growth.
- Plus, nationally, we do not have the capacity or capability to sustain a heightened response to disasters of all kinds and maintain civil readiness for external threats.
Building resilience into infrastructure such as water and sanitation, electricity, and health care can lessen the strain on emergency response, increasing the capacity of these systems to absorb shocks and continue to function when they are disrupted.
- The Chamber has long supported building smart, modern, and resilient infrastructure. A focus on response and recovery must be balanced with effective mitigation, preparedness, and resilience. Without readiness, our nation cannot be resilient.
- Along with a coalition of stakeholders, the Chamber recently sent 2025 resilience and preparedness policy priorities to key committees on the Hill.
Solutions to Improve Community Preparedness
Develop a national strategy
A strategy that ensures coordination and alignment across all levels of government and the private sector will:
- Drive predisaster mitigation planning and projects
- Help right-size federal grants
- Address anticipated risk in communities and the appropriate marketplace and governmental safeguards (insurance, codes, response costs)
- Streamline processes for preparedness, response, and recovery programs and
- Increase public-private models for addressing risk.
We are pleased that President Trump issued an executive order directing state and local preparedness and the development of a national resilience strategy at the National Security Council.
The federal water subcabinet established in Executive Order 13956, and required by the FLOODS Act, might also play an important role in developing the strategy. The FEMA Reform Council can also help. Codifying the initiative into law would institutionalize the approach and ensure durability.
Form a national risk, readiness, and resilience approach at FEMA
The FEMA Administrator should present a clear, annual, published all-hazards report to Congress of a national risk, readiness, and resilience estimate. Duplicative reports to Congress can be reduced in favor of year-over-year benchmarks of progress to guide resourcing, allocation, and budget requests.
Modernize preparedness grants
Efforts to reduce the complexity of federal and private sector grant processes should be supported to rapidly implement resilience measures. This could include:
- Shrinking the number of applications a state or community must complete.
- Consolidating existing grants for states for simplicity before disasters, which would also reduce dependence on federal grants, incentivize private sector investment, and stabilize insurability across communities.
Remove barriers to simplifying preparedness
Congress should ensure appropriate infrastructure and national security agencies collaborate to simplify and streamline preparedness, implement resilient infrastructure, and establish a framework for collaboration and deployment of innovative resilient technologies. The federal water subcabinet could be a vehicle for achieving this goal.
Reform and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program
As the nation continues to face historic flood events, we need to prioritize long-term reauthorization and reform of the National Flood Insurance Program to ensure solvency and viability. At the same time, Congress should consider legislation to enhance private market insurance coverage.
Provide more predisaster funding, tools for communities and companies
Congress should provide meaningful funding for predisaster mitigation and explore alternative, innovative funding models like funds for small business disaster mitigation.
Promote incentives, including tax credits, for households and businesses
Congress should consider including tax credits for resilience and predisaster mitigation projects for households and businesses, especially in the most at-risk and vulnerable communities, and create tax parity at the state and federal levels for these grant recipients.
Implement wildfire mitigation and preparedness
Congress and the administration should consider passing legislation and enforcing current best practices to help reduce and mitigate the occurrence and spread of wildfires. They should encourage sound forest management practices and promote established building standards, such as those developed by the Insurance Institute for Home and Building Safety and the International Wildland Interface Code, developed by the International Code Council.
About the author
Chuck Chaitovitz
Chuck Chaitovitz is vice president for environmental affairs and sustainability at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
