Reps. Carter, Moskowitz Introduce the Emergency Preparedness in Higher Education Act to Strengthen Campus Resilience

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Co-Chairs of the Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus, introduced the Emergency Preparedness in Higher Education Act. This legislation authorizes $100 million in annual federal funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to distribute to higher education institutions. These grants would improve institutions' capacity, planning, and facilities to better prepare for, and respond to, disasters and other emergencies that directly impact students, administrators, and staff. The need for greater disaster preparedness was evident when Hurricanes Katrina, Ida, and Irma devastated universities in Louisiana and Florida, and when wildfires forced evacuations of California campuses.

"Our climate crisis makes extreme weather events more frequent and severe, so we need to ensure uniquely vulnerable communities, such as our colleges and universities, have the support and resources they need to prepare for and respond to disasters and emergency situations," said Congressman Carter. "I'm partnering with Rep. Moskowitz to introduce this legislation and take necessary steps toward preparing our institutions of higher education for protecting the lives, housing, property, and futures of our young adults and the staff that support them before disaster strikes - not after a storm has already arrived."

"As Florida's former emergency management director, I know that the time to prepare for a disaster is before it strikes. No student should be left wondering where to go or whether their campus can keep them safe when a disaster hits," said Congressman Moskowitz. "Families send their children to college trusting that their safety is a priority. That responsibility starts long before the first evacuation order."

Background

American colleges and universities function as small communities, often housing tens of thousands of students, staff, and researchers in concentrated areas, making them uniquely vulnerable to a range of natural disasters and other emergencies. Campus shootings and other acts of violence, from Virginia Tech to Michigan State, have shown that institutions need well-rehearsed active-threat plans and protocols, reliable mass-notification systems, trained threat-assessment teams, and coordination with local law enforcement. Additionally, climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, extreme heat, and other events that can shut down campuses, displace students, and damage infrastructure.

Institutions have a duty of care for the many students who live on campus far from family, including international students, students with disabilities, and low-income students who face additional challenges. Investing in comprehensive emergency planning, resilient infrastructure, continuity-of-operations strategies, accessible communication, and other resources protects lives, preserves academic and research missions, and limits financial impacts. As these threats become more frequent and often overlap, campuses need additional support to make preparedness a core institutional responsibility.

The Emergency Preparedness in Higher Education strengthens higher education resilience by establishing a $100 million annual FEMA grant program to help eligible higher education institutions create or expand emergency management and preparedness capacity.

Eligible uses of grant funds include personnel costs to expand emergency preparedness; creating or updating comprehensive institutional emergency management plans; infrastructure and facility construction or improvements for emergency operations centers or areas of refuge; and equipment and technology to enhance interagency coordination.

Read the full bill text here.

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