Homeland Security Watch

Comment by William R. Cumming

March 27, 2009 @ 9:53 am

Public Law 93-288 became law in May 1974 and was subsequently amended, supplemented and rescinded in part by Public Law 100-707 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Both statutes currently in effect are codified at 42 US Code Sections 5121 and following.
In my opinion Tropical Storm Agnes was more of an influence on passage of the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 than the spring 74 tornadoes but there were some direct impacts. For example, after disoriented people were found wandering the streets of Xenia Ohio days later a provision was added for the first time authorizing the National Institutes of Mental Health to start up a disaster counseling program. After over a decade of almost no initiative the disaster legislation was modified to allow any profession mental health or counseling service to get disaster funding to help with post disaster counseling. This program is one that has grown over the years and is one key element of federal disaster relief, again in my opinion.

By the way the Fujita (sic) Scale has been substantially revised in the last several years but still uses the same numbering system although different calculus and factors now incorporated. Tornadic storms are bad, bad, bad, and we now know definitively because of NOAA research many many tornadoes are spawned by Hurricanes and other cyclonic storms–including NorEASTERS!