Project Impact has been established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to build safer, stronger communities before a disaster strikes. The Project Impact initiative challenges the nation to undertake actions to protect families, businesses and communities by reducing the effects of natural disasters. The initiative started with pilot communities in 1997 and now has participating communities from each state.

Building disaster resistant communities is an important endeavor, considering FEMA spent $20 Billion responding to disasters in 49 states in the last 10 years. In addition, businesses, state and local governments, and other Federal agencies have spent billions more. The success of Project Impact needs the active leadership and support from both the public and private sectors. Momentum is building behind the idea that we need to bring together the business and public leaders in partnership to reduce the enormous personal and economic losses caused by disasters.

FEMA Region V (comprised of IL, IN, MI, MN, OH and WI) established a Project Impact Multi-Organizational Task Force in the summer of 1998 to further expand and improve the partnerships between the public and private sectors in the Midwest and to support designated Project Impact communities. The Multi-Organizational Task Force, as its name implies, includes representatives from the following sectors: business and industry, Federal, state, county and local, education, voluntary agencies, infrastructure, and health and medical organizations.

Mission Statement

The mission of the FEMA Region V Project Impact Multi-Organizational Task Force is to support the communities working to become disaster resistant through the four phases of the Project Impact Initiative - building community partnerships, identifying hazards & community vulnerability, prioritizing hazard risk reduction actions, and communicating success. This Task Force meets on a quarterly basis.

Objectives

Committees have been developed to focus on specific goals and objectives of the Task Force. Each committee has been designed to have co-chairpersons and representatives from both the public and private sectors. These four committees are:

• Partnership Development Committee;

• Hazard Analysis Committee;

• Mitigation Activities Committee and;

• Marketing Committee.

Each Task Force member has been asked to participate on one or more of the Committees. Each committee has members from both sectors and is responsible to solicit additional members to expand the committee to achieve its goals. Each committee has identified preliminary objectives that they plan to complete in support of Project Impact.

The Mitigation Activities Committee has been designed to provide guidance in the development of specific programs to reduce identified hazards, to assist various levels of government in determining their emergency management and mitigation needs and overcoming any obstacles that may encountered, to assist in the development of a mechanism for periodic reassessment of the plan to include both sectors, to compile a list of best practices, and to assist in developing mitigation training for both sectors.

The Hazard Analysis Committee has been designed to support the development of a list of hazard identification risk assessment data and guidance tailored for communities in Region V, to provide guidance to the communities to be incorporated into the Region V toolkit to establish hazard and vulnerability assessment programs, and to develop tools and strategies to enhance coordination between various groups: risk assessment specialists, business planners, and government planners.

The Partnership Development Committee has been designed to create a list of resources, to develop a model Disaster Recovery Business Alliance template for use by the communities as needed, to assist in developing multifaceted public and private partnerships for mitigation purposes, to identify existing private and public resources available to assist in building disaster resistant communities, to help develop a mechanism for periodic reassessment of the plan to include both sectors, and to share best practices with business and communities.

The Marketing Committee has been designed to disseminate the resource material and technical assistance, to establish a clearinghouse of information, to develop a speaker’s bureau, and to communicate successful disaster resistance efforts.

There are many benefits to having partnerships between the private and public sectors. These partnerships not only benefit communities desiring to become disaster resistant, but also the organizations participating on the Task Force. The benefits include understanding the needs of the communities, sharing experiences with each other, leveraging resources to support disaster resistance efforts, and returning to your community or company with information to make your community, workplace and home a safer place.

If anyone from the region would like to learn more about the Project Impact Multi-Organizational Task Force or assist on a committee, please contact William King of FEMA Region V at (312) 408-5575, or at william.king@fema.gov. For further information on the Nationwide Project Impact initiative, please visit the FEMA website at www.fema.gov and go to the Project Impact link.