Culebra, Puerto Rico Hosts Project Impact Summer Camp
Release Date: July 21, 2000
Release Number: R2-00-01
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San Juan, Puerto Rico - Under the motto, "We want to make our community disaster resistant," twenty youth attended the first Project Impact Summer Camp from July 10-14, 2000 on the island municipality of Culebra, Puerto Rico. Project Impact is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) effort to change disaster management while reducing the personal, emotional and financial costs of disasters. Project Impact promotes voluntary community initiatives that develop ways to reduce disaster damage.
In additional to typical recreational activities, the children were given practical disaster preparedness information that would benefit them, their families and community. For example, they were provided with tips on earthquake and hurricane safety and how to prevent and prepare for flooding.
After the successful completion of the activities, seven top performing campers, Jaime Romero, Mikhail Diaz, Antonio Funj, James Ramos, Yavier Vargas, Jon-David Ramos and Krystaliz Vargas explained what they had learned about the importance of disaster preparedness and safety in interviews with radio and newspaper reporters. They also toured FEMA's Caribbean Division Office (CDO) and met with the CDO Director, Jose A. Bravo.
"To ensure the long-lasting effects of Project Impact, all the sectors of the community must now get involved in this mitigation endeavor," said FEMA's CDO Director Jose A. Bravo. "Activities like this that include the younger generation are not only praiseworthy but vital," he added.
The camp followed a three-month island-wide Project Impact voluntary effort where many young people and their families visited each household in Culebra and distributed hurricane safety and preparedness information and hurricane straps where needed.
Culebra's Project Impact Director, Dr. Dinorah Navarro, stated that one key element to effectively perpetuate Project Impact's prime objective of hazard mitigation was to identify those who would carry today's progressive steps into the future. "We are preparing the younger generation because they are the small voice of conscience to their parents. With this acquired knowledge, these young people can share with their families and community the simple tips on effective mitigation practices that can be implemented at home."
Nominated by FEMA in June 1998, Culebra was the first community selected outside the Continental U. S., to become a Project Impact participant and will share its experience with Bayamon, the recently designated municipality in Puerto Rico to set this innovative project in motion.
Last Modified: Thursday, 13-Nov-2003 13:59:25