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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; President Donald J. Trump recently signed H.R. 302 into law, which included U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta&#8217;s Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA).</p><p>Barletta said his bill is the largest reform to the U.S. disaster preparedness and recovery system since Hurricane Katrina and institutes pre-disaster mitigation practices that will help prevent future loss of life and address the rising costs of disasters throughout America.</p><p>&#8220;Pennsylvania is no stranger to the threats posed by natural disasters, having suffered many from Hurricane Lee and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, to this year&#8217;s summer storms that caused flooding in 20 counties across the state,&#8221; Barletta, R-Hazleton, said. &#8220;Last year, 26.4 million Americans were affected by a disaster &#8212; that&#8217;s 8 percent of the U.S. population &#8212; and countless lives were lost.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta said with the Disaster Recovery Reform Act now law, &#8220;we can invest in making our communities safer and more resilient before disaster strikes.&#8221;</p><p>He said DRRA implements broad reforms at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) &#8212; in particular, the legislation increases the federal emphasis on pre-disaster planning and mitigation.</p><p>Barletta, who serves as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee&#8217;s Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee, has long been an advocate for investing in pre-disaster mitigation. Barletta explained that mitigation includes a wide variety of activities, such as elevating or moving structures prone to flooding, and hardening structures to mitigate effects of hurricanes or earthquakes.</p><p>Barletta&#8217;s bill also includes provisions ranging from ensuring that individuals with disabilities are able to repair or replace accessibility-related property to ensuring pets and other animals are taken care of during disasters. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Barletta </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_TTL100118GOPrally_7CMYK.jpg</photo0><caption0>Barletta </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Barletta’s Disaster Recovery Reform Act signed into law