Sunday, February 5, 2012

GOVERNOR SHUMLIN, ALL RECOVERY IS LOCAL, VT

Wednesday, January 25 - 3:20 p.m. - Since August 28th, Governor Shumlin, FEMA and Vermonters across the state continue to work towards rebuilding Vermont better than the way Irene found us.Watch the Governor speak on how local recovery with state support allows for success in our Green Mountain State.

Fairfax Board Endorses [Pre] Disaster Recovery Plan


JANUARY 24, 2012 5:52 PM
BY: 
imageThe Fairfax County Board of Supervisors today endorsed the first comprehensive disaster recovery plan in the National Capital Region. The Fairfax County Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan (PDRP) is the work of a federally-funded project led by the County Office of Emergency Management and positions Fairfax County to successfully recover from a major disaster.
“The PDRP will help ensure Fairfax County can not only survive a disaster, but will be able to recover from it as the great county it is today,” Chairman Sharon Bulova said. “Recovery isn’t just about removing debris or repairing property. We must be ready to get back to work and patronize our local businesses to keep our economy moving. We must be ready to take our kids to school and to reclaim our social lives. We must be ready to face the new day.”
The plan includes partnerships with community organizations like Faith Communities in Action and local Chambers of Commerce. It considers post-disaster community needs holistically, and in coordination with our partners, it will assist the community in addressing the overwhelming and diverse issues that could arise once response activities have subsided.
“The PDRP has been praised by federal economic and emergency management officials, and localities across the country are looking to it as a model for their disaster recovery plans,” Chairman Bulova said. “Our Office of Emergency Management personnel and their director, David McKernan, are to be applauded for their efforts.”
The U.S. Economic Development Administration is currently promoting the plan as a “best practice” on their National Disaster Recovery Framework Rollout tour. Requests for more information on the project have come from multiple jurisdictions, including Los Angeles, California; Garland, Texas; and King County, Washington.
To view the final Fairfax County Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan and read about the extensive process used to develop it, visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/pdrp/ .

Joplin leaders endorse tornado recovery plan

Thu, Jan. 19, 2012, KANSAS CITY STAR   kansascity.com
JOPLIN, Mo. | Community leaders in Joplin have resoundingly endorsed a long-term tornado recovery plan they hope will serve as a national example for other disaster-ravaged areas. The standing ovations and shouts of praise from a grateful public Thursday night were a good start.
The Joplin City Council, school board and Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Board of Aldermen in neighboring Duquesne, swiftly approved the recovery plan at a meeting that ended after barely 30 minutes, though it was scheduled to last two hours. The only hiccup: passing a microphone from one end to the other of a U-shaped table crammed with 45 elected officials and business owners.
The plan was developed by a group of volunteers based on comments offered by area residents at a series of public discussions that began several weeks after the May 22 tornado, one of the nation's deadliest, killed 161 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, from homes and churches to big-box retail businesses and one of the city's two hospitals.
Recommendations include creation of four new business districts that would also allow residents to live and shop nearby. The plan also calls for a city committee to ensure new construction meets certain design standards, including more landscaping to offset commercial projects and parking lots.

Artwork stands in a Joplin park, which was been rebuilt after it was destroyed nearly eight months ago by a tornado. The city has issued nearly 4,000 building permits to homeowners since the tornado hit on May 22.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/19/3380952/joplin-leaders-endorse-tornado.html#storylink=cpy