Measuring the Cost of Disasters Act of 2025
Summary
The "Measuring the Cost of Disasters Act of 2025" aims to establish a publicly accessible database and webpage managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This resource will provide information on billion-dollar disasters occurring annually in the United States. The database will include details such as estimated costs, disaster types, locations, and dates.
Expected Effects
The Act will enhance public awareness and understanding of the financial impact of major disasters. It also ensures the continuation of a previously existing disaster database for archiving and research purposes. This could lead to better-informed policy decisions and resource allocation related to disaster preparedness and mitigation.
Potential Benefits
- Increased transparency regarding the costs and impacts of major disasters.
- Improved public awareness and understanding of disaster trends.
- Enhanced data accessibility for researchers and policymakers.
- Potential for better-informed disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies.
- Continuation of valuable historical disaster data for long-term analysis.
Potential Disadvantages
- Potential costs associated with establishing and maintaining the database and webpage.
- Risk of data inaccuracies or inconsistencies if data collection and validation processes are not robust.
- Possible delays in data updates, limiting the timeliness of information.
- The definition of 'billion-dollar disaster' might exclude significant events with slightly lower costs.
- Over-reliance on cost as the primary metric, potentially overlooking other important disaster impacts.
Constitutional Alignment
The Act aligns with the general welfare clause of the Constitution, as it aims to provide information that can help mitigate the impact of disasters. Specifically, the preamble states the goal to "promote the general Welfare". The establishment and maintenance of a public database fall under Congress's power to allocate resources for public benefit. Article 1, Section 8 provides Congress the power to allocate funding for the project.
Impact Assessment: Things You Care About ⓘ
This action has been evaluated across 19 key areas that matter to you. Scores range from 1 (highly disadvantageous) to 5 (highly beneficial).