WHEREAS, natural, technological, and human-caused disasters in California have caused the loss of 600 lives, more than 21,000 injuries, and $61 billion in property damage over the last 30 years; and
WHEREAS, the majority of California’s 35 million residents live in areas subject to these disasters; and
WHEREAS, an increasing population will put more Californians at risk from disasters in the future; and
WHEREAS, disasters represent a growing global problem that recognizes no political, geographical or socio-economic boundaries; and
WHEREAS, many of our vulnerable individuals, organizations and communities with special needs are unable to address their own preparedness, response and recovery efforts; and
WHEREAS, mitigation measures have been shown to be effective in saving lives and reducing property damage caused by disasters; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the participants of the Third Annual Disaster Resistant California Conference find that while some disaster losses are unfortunately unavoidable, excessive disaster losses are unacceptable and can be prevented or minimized, and call upon all responsible parties, including individuals, businesses, and local, state and federal governments to:
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- Actively support the development and coordination of mitigation strategies and technologies;
- Pursue policies that encourage, benefit, and when feasible require, residents and businesses to retrofit and prepare for emergencies;
- Improve and increase efforts to communicate with all California residents in ways they understand, accept, and can put to use;
- Encourage the development of multi-hazard approaches to mitigation, response, preparedness and recovery;
- Promote the development of mitigation strategies that address societal systems as a whole;
- Support the transfer of emergency-preparedness and business-continuity planning knowledge to the business community, including small businesses;
- Improve international collaboration in implementing cost-effective mitigation measures;
- Educate and encourage all California residents on the importance of taking steps to protect their families, their businesses, and their most important asset – their homes.
Adopted in San Jose, California on the 23rd of April, 2003.
On behalf of the Disaster Resistant California 2003 Conference Organizing Committee,