September 13, 2000                                              Pam Bright SEMA  317  232-6632

(Chicago, IL) – Lake County, Indiana, joined a select list of communities across the country today when it was chosen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to become part of the agency’s Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities.

Project Impact, an initiative launched by FEMA in 1997, works with the state and local governments to build more disaster resistant communities. The partnership will unite FEMA, the Indiana State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), county government, citizens and business leaders in a combined effort to envision and implement strategies designed to lessen future disaster loss.

"We are delighted to be part of a program that will build the state's existing efforts to lessen future devastation and the terrible human costs associated with disasters," said Patrick R. Ralston, Director of SEMA.

Lake County's location in northwest Indiana makes it extremely vulnerable to flooding, winter storms, tornadoes and earthquakes. Over the past decade, the area has had to recover from two severe winter storms and a major flood.

Prior to joining Project Impact, Lake County Indiana has established a Local Emergency Planning Committee which is working on a number of issues from hazardous materials routes, updating the capacity of water retention ponds, community alert notification systems, and flood monitoring systems.

In the past 10 years, FEMA has spent more than $25 billion to help repair and rebuild disaster-stricken areas. Project Impact’s goal is to erase the ceaseless damage-repair-damage cycle by implementing preventive measures before disaster strikes.

"I’m pleased to incorporate Lake County into the Project Impact effort," said FEMA Director James Lee Witt. "This initiative has demonstrated that prevention works, and Project Impact will continue to help Lake County 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."

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.

Since its inception in 1997, four Indiana communities and 2,500 national business partners nationally have embraced Project Impact. The other communities are: Evansville and Southwestern Indiana, Tippecanoe County and St. Joseph County.

Instead of waiting for disasters to occur, Project Impact communities initiate mentoring relationships, private and public partnerships, public outreach and disaster mitigation projects to reduce potentially devastating disasters. Previous community projects have included creating disaster resistance strategies, revising local building and land use codes, and passing bond issues to construct prevention measures that will impact the entire community.

For more information about Project Impact or preventing damage, call (202) 646-4117 or visit www.fema.gov/impact.

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More information is available on FEMA’s For the Media site, at www.fema.gov/media, and Fax-on-Demand at (202) 646-FEMA. For information on Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities, go to www.fema.gov/impact. Radio actualities are available from the FEMA Radio Network (1-800-323-5248).