FEMA Shares Disaster Mitigation Advice in Missouri
Federal Emergency Management Agency teams spent part of the Presidents Day long weekend at home improvement stores in several Missouri cities, where they gave residents information and literature to help them make their homes stronger and safer in the event of future disasters.
Mitigation specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency spent part of the Presidents Day long weekend at home improvement stores in several Missouri cities, where the FEMA teams gave residents information and literature to help them make their homes stronger and safer in the event of future disasters. One of the cities is Joplin, Mo., where an EF5 tornado caused extensive damage on May 22, 2011.
The mitigation specialists were on hand for selected hours Friday through Tuesday, Feb. 16, to answer questions and offer home improvement tips; FEMA geared most of the information it provided toward do-it-yourself work and general contractors.
They also offered free reference booklets on protecting homes against flood damage.
Information about strengthening property against these threats is available at www.fema.gov/what-mitigation.
According to the agency, disasters can happen any time and anywhere: "Effective mitigation requires that we all understand local risks, address the hard choices, and invest in long-term community well-being. Without mitigation actions, we jeopardize our safety, financial security and self-reliance. Disasters can happen at anytime and anyplace; their human and financial consequences are hard to predict. The number of disasters each year is increasing but only 50% of events trigger Federal assistance."