Piedmont Recognized as Project Impact Community Saturday  

Release Date: May 4, 2000
Release Number: R7-00-17

» 2000 Region VII News Releases

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Piedmont, MO, this week formally celebrates becoming Missouri's most recent community to join Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities, an initiative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that aims to change the way America deals with disasters.

"We have the opportunity to cut losses, the know-how to reduce risks and the ability to save lives. Through Project Impact we are working with our state and local partners to shift emergency management from responding to disasters to working actively to prevent damage - before disaster strikes," said John Miller, director of FEMA, Region VII, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

A signing ceremony to officially welcome Piedmont into the program will be held Saturday, May 6, 2000 at 9:00 a.m. at Zephyr Cafe.

"Piedmont is a progressive community which uses mitigation projects to lessen the impact of future disasters on the community and their resources. We are proud to have them join the Project Impact Community," said Jerry Uhlmann, Director, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Piedmont Mayor Gaylon Watson is quoted as saying how proud he is that his community has been selected to participate in Project Impact. "The end results of partnering with our schools, utility companies, law enforcement agencies, businesses, and many other segments of our community is very exciting," said Mayor Watson. "Our goal is to save lives and reduce property loss in times of emergencies. Teamwork within the community is very important and worthwhile."

Distinguished guests expected at the ceremony include:

Mr. Miller, Mr. Uhlmann and others will be available following the ceremony for a media opportunity. An agenda of the day's activities is attached. If you would like help facilitating your coverage of this event, please contact the public affairs officer listed above.

Last Modified: Friday, 12-Dec-2003 13:52:54