PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Create and run a national program to lower the risk to people and property from earthquakes and to make communities more able to recover. The program must meet seven goals: teach the public and local officials about earthquakes, risky places, and how to reduce harm; develop practical, affordable design and building methods to make new and existing structures earthquake‑resistant, with priority for critical facilities like power plants, dams, hospitals, schools, utilities, public safety buildings, and high‑occupancy structures; set up systems to find and describe seismic hazards in high or moderate risk areas; work with states and cities on model building and planning codes and land‑use choices; improve planning, warnings, emergency services, recovery, and rebuilding; increase use of current science and engineering to reduce risks; and help ensure affordable earthquake insurance is available.

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

Construction

”. 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