FLOOD01429

• County: Statewide
• Title: NFIP/CRS Update - FEMA Elevation Certificates
• Date: 1/1/2000
• Prepared For: US
• Prepared By: FEMA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Historic FEMA Regulatory Floodplain Information

Project Impact

In the past 10 years, FEMA has spent $25
billion to help people repair and rebuild their
communities after natural disasters, And that is
not the total cost. Insurance companies spent
additional billions in claims payments;
businesses lost revenues; employees lost jobs;
other government agencies spent millions more,
Worst of all, however, is the loss that can never
be recovered: human life.

With Project Impact-Building Disaster
Resistant Communities, FEMA is changing the
way America deals with disasters. Project
Impact helps communities protect themselves
from the devastating effects of natural disasters
by taking actions that dramatically reduce
disruption and loss,

There is a lot of potential overlap between
Project Impact and the Community Rating
System, Both programs encourage communities
to work with other agencies, organizations, and
the private sector to bring all possible resources
to bear on natural hazard mitigation, This article
summarizes the Project Impact approach and
identifies sources of assistance that can help
communities reduce losses from flooding and
other hazards,

Principles: Project Impact operates on three
simple principles:

1. Preventive actions must be decided at the
local level;

2, Private sector participation is vital; and

3, Long-tenn efforts and investments in
prevention measures.

There is no doubt that Project Impact is a
common sense approach for the way America
deals with disasters, The incentive is clear: a
disaster resistant community is able to bounce
back from a natural disaster with far less
property loss and thus much less cost for
repairs. Moreover, the time lost from productive
activity is minimized for both businesses and
their employees, Indeed, FEMA estimates that
for every dollar spent in damage prevention, two
are saved in repairs,

To implement this approach, FEMA has
designated over 200 communities nationwide as
Project Impact communities, Others are

NFIP/CRS Update

welcome to participate simply by following the
program's principles and taking steps to make
their homes, schools, and businesses disaster
resistant.

Planning Steps: Project Impact promotes a
straight-forward planning process, sImilar to the
CRS' planning process in Activity 510 (Flood-
plain Management Planning), It has four steps:

1, Build partnerships: Organize a "Dlsaster-
Resistant Community Plannmg Committee"
by inviting

c Business and industry,

c Public works and utilities,

c Volunteer/community groups,

c C1overnment, and

c Education, health care, workforce.
2. Assess the risks:

c What are the community's risks for
natural disasters?

c What specific structures and areas are
most vulnerable?
3, Prioritize needs:

c Identify mitigation priorities and take
action.

c Identify the measures you will take,

c Identify and secure resources,

4, Keep the community informed:

c Keep your community infonned as
you take actions.

c Promote involvement of your partners,

c Maintain support for your long-term
initiatives,
Resources: The following resources are
available on Project Impact:

Project Impact C1uidebook
Project Impact Brochure
Project Impact Overview Video
FEMA Technical Assistance (1-800-480-
2520)
Website: www.fema.gov.

- 2-

Winter 2000