NU Online News Service, Aug. 5, 2:44 p.m.EDT

WASHINGTON—Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is warning thatthe federal government needs to do more to respond to growingdemands for disaster assistance in the wake of "stronger weatherevents."

He makes his comments at a Senate hearing after Frank Nutter,president of the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA), said ina prepared statement that an increase in severe-weather events"requires a more forward-looking and proactive approach tofinancing recovery from disasters" from the U.S. government.

Both point to the National Flood Insurance Program and thefederal crop-insurance subsidy program as primary examples of wherethe federal government needs to do a better job of preparing fornatural disasters.

Nutter also cites other Federal Emergency Management Agencyprograms.

"The federal government has the additional burden of disasterassistance following catastrophic events and appears to relyprimarily on post-event appropriations," Nutter says.

In responding, Durbin says, "We are not prepared. Our weatherevents are getting worse—catastrophic in fact."

He says the private sector is prepared, "but the federalgovernment is ignoring the obvious. We need to do more to protectfederal assets and respond to growing demands for disasterassistance on an increasing frequency."

Nutter says that data points to a "clear increase in the numberand financial impact of U.S. and non-U.S. naturalcatastrophes."

He adds that these include geophysical (earthquake),climatological (extreme temperature, drought, wildfire),hydrological (flood) and meteorological (winter and thunder stormsand related hurricanes and tornadoes) events.

Nutter says that much of this increase can be attributed tochanges in weather intensity and climate-related impacts.

However, he says, "the fundamental driver is the increase in thenumber of people living in areas vulnerable to catastrophic storms,the increase in property values in these high-risk areas, and thevulnerability of construction materials and technology."

Nutter says the "reality is that our society has movedincreasingly to areas with the greatest exposure to naturalcatastrophes along our coasts and rivers and invaded the naturallandscape in areas susceptible to wildfire and drought.

"Where these areas once served as natural habitats to wildlifeand buffers from natural hazards, they are now populated withcommunities and infrastructure," Nutter adds.

Nutter explains that no one can reliably predict specificweather events more than a few days in advance and there is noreliable prediction for earthquakes.

"That does not preclude, however, financial planning for thelikelihood of these events or for reliance on the scientificcommunity to assess future conditions that can be used to makedecisions about appropriate policy matters," he says.