National Hurricane Preparedness Week, 2017

Proclamation 9606 of May 5, 2017

National Hurricane Preparedness Week, 2017

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

National Hurricane Preparedness Week reminds those of
us living in hurricane-prone areas of the need to ready
our homes, communities, and families for extreme
weather events before hurricane season arrives.
Preparing for weather-related disasters can
dramatically reduce their impact on you, your family,
and your community.

The 2017 hurricane season, which begins June 1 and
lasts through November 30, marks the 25th anniversaries
of Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki. In August 1992,
Hurricane Andrew tore through South Florida before
making landfall, again, in Louisiana. It claimed 65
lives, destroyed 25,000 homes, and caused approximately
$26 billion in overall damage. A few weeks later,
Hurricane Iniki struck the Hawaiian Island of Kauai,
killing six, demolishing 1,400 homes, and causing about
$1.8 billion in overall damage. The tragic losses
caused by those terrible storms remind us of the need
to prepare for the destruction hurricanes can bring.

As Hurricane Andrew demonstrated, inland areas are not
immune from the destruction hurricanes can bring with
them through flooding rains and other related weather
events. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration study of Hurricane Andrew revealed that
most of the damage it caused was inland from the
primary storm surge areas. Just last year, heavy rains
from Hurricane Matthew caused destructive flooding and
loss of life in the Carolinas, even though the
hurricane's eye remained mostly offshore.

This week, through several initiatives, I am
encouraging Americans to take the time to prepare for
the upcoming hurricane season. After a major disaster,
you may not have immediate access to the services you
are accustomed to, such as clean water, grocery stores,
and emergency services. Hurricane preparedness
information provided by the National Weather Service
(NWS) and the Ready campaign conducted by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), both available
online, outline important steps you can take right now
to safeguard your family, pets, and property. These
resources will help you create evacuation and
communications plans and assemble a disaster kit of
necessary supplies. Developing and implementing these
plans will save lives and avoid excess damage.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim May 7 through May 13,
2017, as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. I call
upon Americans living in hurricane-prone areas to
observe this week by making use of the online resources
provided by the NWS and FEMA and by taking actions to
safeguard their families, homes, and businesses from
the dangers of hurricanes. I also call upon Federal,
State, local, tribal, and territorial emergency
management officials to help inform our communities
about hurricane preparedness and response, in order to
help prevent storm damage and save lives.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand
seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and forty-first.