From coastlines battered by hurricanes and storm surge, to towns leveled by tornadoes and wildfires, to neighborhoods shaken by earthquakes and landslides — the toll of natural disasters is national and personal.

Survivors carry grief for loved ones lost, homes destroyed, and communities forever changed. First responders and healthcare workers shoulder lasting trauma. Schools close, small businesses shutter, and families are displaced for months or years.

On April 18, we remember the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake—estimated at magnitude 7.9, killing thousands and destroying most of the city — and we honor every community since that has faced disaster’s fury.

Without a permanent day of awareness and remembrance, we risk forgetting the hard-won lessons that save lives. A national observance would give survivors space to be seen and supported, elevate preparedness in every household and school, and focus public attention on resilient infrastructure and equitable recovery. It would institutionalize a moment each year to practice readiness — checking go-bags, updating plans, learning evacuation routes — while urging policymakers to invest in safer buildings, stronger grids, living shorelines, defensible space, and early-warning systems. Commemoration isn’t just memory; it’s mitigation.

Establishing April 18 as National Natural Disaster Awareness & Remembrance Day aligns history with action: we honor those lost, support those still rebuilding, and prepare for what’s next.

We ask the President and Congress to designate this day permanently and to pair it with a federal call to action — community drills, school lessons, and public-information campaigns under the banner: “Honor. Remember. Prepare.” Let April 18 be the annual spark that turns remembrance into resilience.

Why April 18?

There are currently no permanent federally-recognized days of awareness or remembrance on April 18, and the proximity to Earth Day (April 22) would help build a cohesive theme through the week: from remembrance and readiness to environmental responsibility.

The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire on April 18, 1906 claimed about 3,000 lives, making it one of the deadliest disasters in US history. Additional days for Hurricane Victims Remembrance Day (August 29, Hurricane Katrina) have been proposed.