PROJECT IMPACT

Building Disaster-Resistant Communities

Heavy Disaster Costs

FEMA spent $20 billion responding to disasters in 49 states over past ten years

Other federal agencies spent billions more

State and local government, private sector and individuals also pay heavy costs

The Damage to Business is Real

Structural loss

Business interruption

Community infrastructure loss

Customer loss

Community loss

Economic Toll from Disasters

Businesses close

People lose their jobs

40% of small businesses never open again

Project Impact- Working Together

Building Partnerships

Identifying Risks

Prioritizing Needs

Implementing Long-Term Plans To Protect Communities

Community Information Sharing

Making Communities Disaster ResistantStrengthening Structures Homes

Businesses

Bridges

Roads

Public facilities: schools, hospitals

Examining Building Codes• Strengthen codes to meet disaster risks of your

community

Restricting Building Areas• Local measures to discourage building in floodplains or

high risk areas

Protecting At-Risk Structures• Protect structures in floodplains or high risk areas

Making Communities Disaster Resistant

PROJECT IMPACTis about cutting disaster costs. Taking Responsibility--Taking Action.

PROJECT IMPACT

GOALis to Make Each and Every Community

Disaster-Resistant.

Americans Prepared

Witt launches Project Impact at El Niño summit in Santa Monica in October ‘97

People took action

Californians secured roofs, cleaned culverts and drains and elevated utilities and electrical panels

El Niño Prevention Pays Off

Despite El Niño related storms and related severe weather, FEMA disaster-related costs remained level.

P R O J E C T I M P A C T

A M o d e l f o r C o m m u n i t y A c t i o n

Where It Happens: At the Local Level7 pilot Project Impact communities

Over 100 communities by 1999.

Business Partners:Protecting Their CommunitiesBusiness partners help to protect their company,

employees, and community

Goal to have 500 business partners by September

Small, Medium and Large Companies...Home Depot, Bell Atlantic, Washington Mutual….

Contingency Planning Exchange Mentoring Program

Businesses Can Contribute--What They Can Do.

Responsibility to your Company• Anheuser Busch Mitigation Efforts

Responsibility to your Employees• Michael Baker Associates - 10% or $50 off of flood

insurance premium

Responsibility to your Community• Washington Mutual - loan program helps to protect

their community

The Business Impact is Real

An investment in mitigation gets 100% return -- at leastat least.

The Anheuser-Busch Return

Pre-disaster investment in mitigation efforts saved $300 million in Northridge Earthquake --15X cost of investment in mitigation.

1BuildingPartnerships

2AssessingRisk

3PrioritizingNeeds

4Keep YourCommunityInformed

PROJECT IMPACT4 Phases to a Disaster-Resistant Community

First Phase: Building PartnershipsOrganize A Disaster-Resistant Community

Planning CommitteeInvite:• business and industry• public works and utilities• volunteer/community groups• government• education, health care, workforce

Second Phase: Are You Vulnerable?Risk Assessment

What are the community’s risks for natural disasters?

What specific structures and areas are most vulnerable?

Third Phase: Taking ActionSetting Priorities Identify mitigation priorities and take action

Identify the measures you will take and do it!

Identify and secure resources

Fourth Phase: It Takes Everyone!Communicate Your Progress

Keep your community informed as you take actions

Promote involvement of your partners

Maintain support for your long-term initiatives

Deerfield Beach, FL., A Disaster Resistant CommunityBusiness Alliance meets to.…

Has relocated critical city services into one disaster-resistant building

Retrofitted school to serve as safe shelter

Developed residential home retrofitting program to withstand threat of hurricanes

Where to Get HelpProject Impact ResourcesProject Impact GuidebookProject Impact Brochure Project Impact Overview and “Changing the

Way America Deals with Disasters” VideoFEMA Technical AssistanceLocal Project Impact CoordinatorAward Winning Website www.fema.gov1-800-480-2520Other Communities

Changing the Way America Deals with Disasters

PROJECT IMPACT