43 Tampa Bay Region Municipalities, Counties Signing as Project Impact Partners With FEMA
Release Date: September 11, 2000
Release Number: R4-00-11
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Today's signing of an agreement between 43 Tampa Bay governments and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) marks official acceptance of the Project Impact initiative, a public-private enterprise certain to lessen inevitable losses left by equally inevitable tropical storms that will punish the area in future years.
The Project Impact compact, signed by Secretary Steven M. Seibert of the Florida Department of Community Affairs on behalf of the 43 governments, guarantees that disaster-resistance efforts designed to protect the region's 21/2 million residents no longer will be of just seasonal interest, but becomes a year-round priority.
A broad-based coalition of state and local governments, public agencies, private sector businesses and citizens in the four counties --Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas--that comprise the Tampa Bay region will formally join the FEMA initiative in an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Tot Tenders Learning Center, 474 94th Ave. North, St. Petersburg.
FEMA Region IV Director John B. Copenhaver will represent the agency, and other signatories include Mayor David Fischer of St. Petersburg, and Chairman Chris Hart of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
The event formally ushers in a concerted, centralized effort to lower the loss of lives and property in natural disasters. It means that communities, counties, the private sector and FEMA jointly will assess regional risks from threatening storms, and develop and implement strategies and actions that limit the probability of disaster-related damage.
"Nothing can stop an overpowering hurricane or a threatening weather cell," Copenhaver said, "but the record shows unquestionably that Project Impact communities elsewhere have proved that losses can be greatly reduced and lives actually spared as a result of proper planning and preparation." Severe storms are not a question of "if" on the Florida peninsula, but rather of "when," he added.
The public-private partnership will target areas in the four counties most vulnerable to recurrent disaster damage, then develop and institute preventive measures. Included are fortifying buildings against high winds, elevating frequently flooded properties, improving storm alert warning systems, and promoting community disaster awareness, including timely evacuation measures. Hazard preparation plans will be coordinated through the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, an association of governments in the four participating counties and the 39 incorporated municipalities, including Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Tampa Bay will be the largest regional community in Florida to develop a Project Impact program. It also includes the state's highest total of repetitive flood loss sites. National Flood Insurance Program records show 6,611 recorded flood losses in the four counties at a total cost of $100,179,912.
Secretary Seibert called the initiative "an important step toward helping the Tampa Bay community build new partnerships that cross public and private sector lines." "This project will continue to encourage communities to identify their vulnerabilities to natural disasters and craft innovative ways to make our state more disaster-resistant," said Seibert.
Due to its Gulf Coast location and low-lying topography, the Tampa Bay area is susceptible to storm surges and resultant flooding. This makes the booming region home to one of the nation's highest at-risk populations. State officials estimate a million residents would have to evacuate the region if a Category Three (110mph) hurricane were to directly threaten it.
The Tampa Bay region already is recognized as a national leader in its hazard mitigation efforts. Building codes, comprehensive plans, zoning, floodplain management, and disaster preparedness efforts are a continuing priority. The four counties participate in a mitigation strategy that has strong working relationships with businesses and chambers of commerce. The counties also participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and the related cost-lowering Community Rating System.
Since Project Impact's inception three years ago, about 200 communities have enlisted in the initiative. It's need can be found in the fact that in the last five years, FEMA has responded to nearly 5,000 disasters in 49 states and spent nearly $14 billion in federal disaster relief.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 18-Nov-2003 16:01:45