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<br /> <br />FEMA's Project Impact - A Complement to the HMPI <br /> <br />In response to the continued trend in escalating losses from disasters in the U.S., FEMA has launched a <br />nationwide initiative, knO\\TI as PYf?iect Impact, a major, community-based effon to change the way our <br />nation de-dls with disasters, Three basic principles drive Project Impact: preventive actions must be <br />decided at the local level; pri,~te sector participation is ,ital; and long.ternl effons and investments in <br />mitigation actions are essential. <br /> <br />Since 1997, FEMA has supponed the creation of200 Project Impact communities, bringing together <br />technical expenise and limited funding from a wide variety of panners - public, privale and non-profit <br />While e-ach Project Impact community has pursued a mitigation strategy that is unique to its hazard <br />exposure and capabilities, the process typically has these key clements: <br /> <br />. building community partnerships <br />. identify hazards and assess risks <br /> <br />. prioritize and implement hazard risk reduction actions <br /> <br />. communicate successes <br /> <br />FE~L~ has worked "ith the NCEMD to identify and support sL~ Project Impact communities in North <br />Carolina: Wilmington-~e\V Hanover Count}; Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, Town of Boone, Lenoir <br />County, Buncombe County, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. <br /> <br />Project Impact compiement~ the IIMPI, both have the same long-tenn goals - to build local capacity to <br />develop and implement hazard mitigation progranls to reduce community ;ulnerability to natural <br />hazards. The kL')' is to be able to sustain these efforl~ through the institutionalization of mitigation <br />policies and progr-ams, a priority of the HMPL <br /> <br />In short, Project Impact has been a catalyst in North Carolina for the implementation of hazard <br />mitigation initiatives, New Hanover County, for c.~ample, has received national recognition for its <br />involvement of the business community in all3>'Pects of local programs that address hazard awareness, <br />mitigation, response and recovery. One of Mecklenburg County's PYf?iect Impact programs is featured <br />in Chapter 3 - the Commercial Flood Audit Project <br /> <br />A private sector partner, Geographic Technologies Group, Inc" is providing GIS training for local government <br />staff in data analysis and conducting workshops on the use of GIS in mitigation planning for local policy <br />makers. This public.private partnership has become a technical resource for the interdisciplinary planning <br />teams lhal work closely with each demonstration community, <br /> <br />Empbasis on a Regional, Data.DrivenApproacb to Planning. Since natural hazards and their impacts <br />transcend political boundaries, it is increasingly recognized that hazard mitigation plans should be viewed <br />from a regional perspective. With this in mind, the CGIA is providing spatially referenced data on natur-a! <br />hazards, existing land use, population densilies, projecled future land uses, infrastmcture data, and other <br />information on a county and regional scale, These data will be used to develop a regional, mnlti.hazard <br />approach, and IVill allow state officials to monitor variables that may contribute to increasing risks such as <br />floodplain encroachment. <br /> <br />Promoting Local Government Accountability in Expansion of the HMPI. The NCE~lD has developed <br />a new policy that requires any local government receiving Hazard Mitigation Gr-ant Progmm funds to develop <br /> <br />9 <br />