§7702 — Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare | U.S. Code

Summary

Create and run a national program to cut the risk to people and buildings from future earthquakes and to make communities stronger and quicker to recover. The program must focus on seven goals. Teach the public and local officials about earthquakes and how to reduce harm. Develop practical design and construction methods to make new and old buildings safer, giving priority to critical facilities like power plants, dams, hospitals, schools, utilities, and other key buildings. Set up systems to find and measure earthquake hazards in high- and moderate-risk areas. Work with states and local groups to create and promote model building codes and land-use guidance. Improve planning for warnings, emergency response, re-entry, recovery, and rebuilding. Increase use of scientific and engineering knowledge to reduce risk. Help make earthquake insurance affordable.

Title 42, §7702

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

It is the purpose of the Congress in this chapter to reduce the risks of life and property from future earthquakes and increase the resilience of communities in the United States through the establishment and maintenance of an effective earthquake hazards reduction program. The objectives of such program shall include—

(1)the education of the public, including State and local officials, as to earthquake phenomena, the identification of locations and structures which are especially susceptible to earthquake damage, ways to reduce the adverse consequences of an earthquake to individuals and the communities, and related matters;

(2)the development of technologically and economically feasible design and construction methods and procedures to make new and existing structures, in areas of seismic risk, earthquake resistant, giving priority to the development of such methods and procedures for power generating plants, dams, hospitals, schools, public utilities and other lifeline infrastructure, public safety structures, high occupancy buildings, and other structures which are especially needed to facilitate community-wide post-earthquake recovery and in times of disaster;

(3)the implementation to the greatest extent practicable, in all areas of high or moderate seismic risk, of a system (including personnel, technology, and procedures) for identifying, evaluating, and accurately characterizing seismic hazards;

(4)the development, publication, and promotion, in conjunction with State and local officials and professional organizations, of model building and planning codes and other means to encourage consideration of information about seismic risk in making decisions about land-use policy and construction activity;

(5)the development, in areas of seismic risk, of improved understanding of, and capability with respect to, earthquake-related issues, including methods of mitigating the risks from earthquakes, planning to prevent such risks, disseminating warnings of earthquakes, organization emergency services, and planning for re-occupancy, recovery, reconstruction, and redevelopment after an earthquake;

(6)the development of ways to increase the use of existing scientific and engineering knowledge to mitigate earthquake hazards; and

(7)the development of ways to assure the availability of affordable earthquake insurance.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Pub. L. 115–307, § 2(b)(1), inserted “and increase the resilience of communities” after “future earthquakes” in introductory provisions. Par. (1). Pub. L. 115–307, § 2(b)(2), inserted “to individuals and the communities” after “an earthquake”. Par. (2). Pub. L. 115–307, § 2(b)(3), (c)(1)(B), substituted “lifeline infrastructure” for “lifelines” and “to facilitate community-wide post-earthquake recovery and in times of disaster” for “in time of disaster”. Par. (3). Pub. L. 115–307, § 2(b)(4), struck out “for predicting damaging earthquakes and” before “for identifying,”. Par. (4). Pub. L. 115–307, § 2(b)(5), inserted “and planning” after “model building”. Par. (5). Pub. L. 115–307, § 2(b)(6), substituted “re-occupancy, recovery, re

Construction

,” for “re

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”. 1990—Pub. L. 101–614 inserted sentence at end, listing objectives of program.

§7702 Congressional statement of purpose

Summary

Title 42, §7702

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Construction

Construction

Citations & Metadata