Cape Cod Commission In Massachusetts, To Become a Disaster Resistant Community  

Release Date: September 14, 2000
Release Number: R1-00-45

Boston, MA -- The Cape Cod Commission in Massachusetts has joined a nationwide effort to become a disaster-resistant community. This nation-wide initiative is dedicated to changing the way America responds to disasters.

"I am please to welcome the Cape Cod Commission of Massachusetts into the network of Project Impact communities. This initiative has demonstrated that prevention works, and Project Impact will continue to help Cape Cod businesses and residents shift their focus from simply responding to disasters to taking actions in advance to stop the devastating property damage and loss of life," said FEMA Director James Lee Witt.

Project Impact: Building a Disaster-Resistant Community is a national initiative that aims to change the way America deals with disasters by encouraging communities to assess their vulnerabilities and take action to limit damage before disasters occur.

"The Cape Cod Commission was established by the Massachusetts legislature in 1990 as a regional planning and regulatory agency. The Commission consists of 15 towns in Barnstable County which have taken aggressive action to manage their flood risks, all of the towns participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, said Steve McGrail, Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).

The Commission has developed GIS mapping and implemented numerous Hazard Mitigation Grant projects, which include several flood retrofitting, elevation projects, the acquisition of three flood damaged homes and dune restoration. As a regional planning organization for Cape Cod, the Commission continues to promote floodplain management and environmental protection measures.

"Communities across this nation are prepared for disasters that we know will come. FEMA invited the Cape Cod Commission to become a Project Impact community because of its high risk for coastal erosion, hurricanes, northeast storms, its history of disaster loss, and its proven track record for taking actions to become disaster resistant," said Setti D. Warren, Director of FEMA's Region I in Boston.

Project Impact corporate and community partners assist with monetary aid, in-kind services, technical support and labor to aid in implementing disaster-resistant measures. FEMA provides technical, administrative and financial support. Currently, there are over 200 Project Impact communities across America and 2,500 business partners that are reducing their potential for disaster.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 12-Nov-2003 13:51:57