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Architects Warn U.S. Governors of Federal Emergency Planning Gap, Urge Immediate Action

As hurricane season begins, it is important for elected leaders to understand the essential role architects play in helping communities withstand rising heat, flooding, and heavier precipitation

Image courtesy of AIA

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has sent a letter to the governors of all 55 U.S. states and territories urging them to engage architects trained in disaster assistance to strengthen community resilience, improve emergency planning, and bolster preparedness before the next storm strikes.

As hurricane season begins, it is important for elected leaders to understand the essential role architects play in helping communities withstand rising heat, flooding, and heavier precipitation. Architects contribute by conducting vulnerability assessments, retrofitting buildings for greater resilience, analyzing building performance, designing structures that can better endure disasters, and helping shape building codes and land-use policies that strengthen the built environment.

Through its Disaster Assistance Program, AIA mobilizes architects and other building professionals to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters with greater safety, coordination, and resilience. The program supports this work with practical resources, including the Disaster Assistance Handbook for building more resilient, sustainable, equitable, and healthy communities; Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Training for evaluating the safety of homes, buildings, and infrastructure after disasters; and the Guide to Understanding Resilience, which explains core concepts such as mitigation, adaptation, sustainability, regenerative design, hazard, risk, and vulnerability.

“As hurricane season begins, community leaders must recognize the essential role architects play before, during, and after disasters — advancing preparedness, supporting emergency response, and guiding long-term recovery toward safer, more resilient communities,” said 2026 AIA President Illya Azaroff, FAIA. “Local officials should strengthen preparedness efforts now by engaging architects experienced in resilient planning and development before the next disaster strikes — not after devastation occurs.”

After 99.5 percent of congressional districts experienced at least one federally declared major disaster tied to extreme weather between 2011 and 2024, AIA is urging Congress to strengthen federal emergency response by making the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) a standalone, Cabinet-level agency outside the Department of Homeland Security. AIA is also calling on lawmakers to pass H.R. 4669, which would strengthen federal emergency management, help communities better prepare for increasingly severe extreme weather events, and equip AIA members with resources to support recovery efforts when disasters strike. With recent budget cuts, staffing reductions, and delayed disaster declarations hindering FEMA’s ability to deliver timely assistance, passage of this measure would bolster both local preparedness and the professional capacity needed to protect vulnerable communities before and after an emergency.

“The AIA remains committed to equipping architects with the training, knowledge, and resources needed to help communities reduce risk, adapt to changing conditions, and build a more resilient future.” noted Azaroff.

Learn more about how to partner with architects to create strengthen communities.