Sunday, May 30, 1999
Having impact before disaster
Simple projects can limit damage
BY LEW MOORES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COLERAIN TOWNSHIP — A handful of township officials and volunteers went to the eastern portion of the township near Adams Road last weekend and cleared debris that had formed a natural dam on a section of the Mill Creek.
Trustee Keith Corman and Frank Birkenhauer, assistant township administrator, along with other volunteers, spent a morning clearing the tree limbs, tires and debris, allowing the creek to flow more freely.
It was a simple exercise in what the community can do under Project Impact, a program sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help make communities around the country more resistant to natural disasters.
“It was a disaster looking for a place to happen,” said Mr. Corman of the natural dam. “What a job on a Saturday morning. It was a good example of the kind of mitigation we can do.”
The township is one of more than 100 communities in the country that have been chosen to participate in Project Impact, intended to help communities lessen the impact of natural disasters, like floods and tornadoes.
Participating communities can be eligible for FEMA assistance in mitigating the impact of natural disasters. The township qualified because of its vulnerability to flooding, which caused close to $1 million in damage last summer.
Steps includemaking sure yards and drainage areas are not clogged, infrastructure is in good shape and culverts are adequately sized.
“Just in a short time we've done a lot of things,” said Mr. Birkenhauer. “The big part is educating residents.”
FEMA thinks Project Impact can cut into the $20 billion the agency has spent in the past 10 years helping repair and rebuild property.
“We have a lot more planned,” said Mr. Birkenhauer. “This is just the beginning.”
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