House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

I will be introducing a resolution directing the Joint State Government Committee to conduct a study on the economic costs of flooding on residential homes and businesses in the Commonwealth.  The study would focus primarily on data available for the past 20 years and identify trends in costs, locations, and types of damage caused by flooding.  The Committee would also provide recommendations on how Pennsylvania can better track this information and target future flooding-related prevention and relief efforts. 

 

We need to know the costs these weather events are causing across Pennsylvania.  

 

Over the past 20 years, Pennsylvania has had at least three major flooding events.  We’ve seen estimates that Hurricanes Ivan and Ida, along with Tropical Storm Lee, have caused a combined total of more than $600 million in property damage. We don’t know the total costs of repair, of lost wages and productivity, of closed businesses or lost investment.  Or, how we might invest now to offset major costs later. In short, Pennsylvania currently has no way to accurately track the economic impact of flooding in the Commonwealth and it’s important to quantify and effectively communicate flood hazards, to inform the design and implementation of flood risk management strategies.  
  
Please join me in support of this important resolution.