On Wednesday, the Alabama Resiliency Council met for the first time. The Council was joined at its inaugural meeting by Governor Kay Ivey.
“Today, I kicked off the inaugural meeting of the Alabama Resilience Council,” Gov. Ivey said on Twitter. “I established this council to help us better prepare for when disaster strikes so we can preserve lives, protect jobs, and ensure our state’s future remains bright.”
As the Council met, our neighbors to the west in Louisiana are fighting wildfires due to a historic drought, and Hurricane Idalia is wreaking havoc on our neighbors to our east, Florida and Georgia.
According to the Council’s website, in the last 40 years, more than 1,100 Alabamians have died in disasters. In the last 20 years, Alabama has spent at least half a billion dollars simply to match FEMA funds, and in the last 20 years, Alabamians themselves have spent tens of billions on property damages and losses. Alabama has led the nation in tornado deaths since 1948, when we first started keeping accurate records.
The Alabama Resilience Council was created by Gov. Ivey when she signed Executive Order 736. This action is a key part of the Ivey Administration’s effort to make Alabama the most resilient state in the nation by protecting the lives, property, and economic well-being of Alabamians against possible hazards, both natural and man-made. The Alabama Resilience Council will work with local, state, federal, and private partners to help communities build stronger, live safer, and recover quicker. The work of the Council will be aimed at better preparing Alabama’s communities to withstand events that result in harmful societal impacts.
The purpose of the Council is “to provide a forum for coordinating activities of state government and for facilitating interactions between state government and the private sector to proactively address harmful impacts on Alabama communities and infrastructure before they occur.”
“Protecting the well-being of our people, both physically and financially, should be a top priority shared by leaders at all levels of government,” Ivey said. “Alabama is growing like never before, and it’s imperative we take necessary steps today to preserve our historic progress for tomorrow. By proactively reimagining our approach to events with harmful effects on Alabamians before they occur, we can save lives, protect jobs, and ensure our state’s future remains bright.”
“This council presents a great opportunity to bring stakeholders together to explore partnerships and create synergy in our efforts in our state,” said Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Smitherman. “It creates a platform to include key players that can significantly increase the strength and resilience of Alabama from harmful societal impacts.”
“I want to thank Governor Ivey for her leadership and vision in creating this important Council,” said Alabama Commissioner of Insurance Mark Fowler. “We believe Alabama will set the national standard for preparedness and resilience. The Alabama Resilience Council will be a whole-of-government response, with the input of private industry, aimed at making that a reality.”
The Alabama Resilience Council coordinates the numerous multi-disciplinary local, state, federal, and private partners in setting priorities, leveraging resources, communicating effectively, and delivering measurable results to shape a supple and vibrant future.
Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Smitherman and Alabama Department of Insurance Commissioner Mark Fowler will serve as co-chairs of the Council.
Permanent Members of the council include:
· The Alabama Emergency Management Agency
· The Alabama Department of Insurance
· The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries
· The Alabama Department of Commerce
· The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
· The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
· The Alabama Department of Environmental Management
· The Alabama Department of Public Health
· The Alabama Department of Transportation
· The Alabama Forestry Commission
· The Alabama Geological Survey
· The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
· The Alabama National Guard
· The Alabama Office of Information Technology
Sixteen other local, state, federal, and private partners will be invited to appoint a representative to the Council.
Gov. Ivey has sent two Alabama National Guard Black Hawk helicopters and a Chinook to help the Governor of Louisiana combat the wildfires there. The Governor’s office is reportedly consulting with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on how Alabama might be of assistance to the people of Florida.
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