JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The wife of an El Faro shipwreck victim has launched a petition on the eve of what would have been her wedding anniversary.
Rochelle Hamm's husband, Frank Hamm, was aboard the El Faro when it sank. Now she's putting together legislation in her husband's name with the hopes that it will land it on the president's desk soon.
The legislation, which she has named "The Hamm Alert," calls for changes in the maritime industry in the form of more oversight and regulation.
In the proposal, Hamm asks that ships not depart into the direction of any storm or hurricane and that there should be third party oversight to ensure safety at all times.
She also proposes that all commercial vessels be stocked with the "newest" type of survival vessels, which would be enclosed, instead of the typical raft.
Today, she spoke with First Coast News outside the Prime Osborn Convention Center where official hearings are taking place into the loss of the container ship El Faro last year. She says she's hoping for 5,000 signatures on that petition that's now online.
You can view the petition here.
"A snowstorm hit up north recently and no planes moved, they were all in place, we want the same thing to happen in this situation as well," says Hamm. "The Royale Caribbean Cruiseline went out into a storm, if Hamm Alert would have been in place that would have been prevented."
Her attorney Benjamin Crump is also helping to push it forward. He visited with NTSB officials in Washington D.C. about the future of the legislation and how it could help save lives; he says NTSB expressed a lot of interest.
Frank Hamm leaves behind five children and three grandchildren.
Sunday, February 21st would have been their 18th wedding anniversary.