PROJECT IMPACT AIMS TO MAKE CITY BETTER PREPARED

Terry Fulk knows that disasters bring chaos but he's prepared to handle it. At work there is an emergency kit and flashlight in his desk drawer, and a bank vault down the hall for extra safety in a tornado.

But Fulk, whose office is inside a former bank building now owned by the city, wants everyone else in Cape Girardeau to be prepared for disaster too.

As Cape Girardeau's Project Impact Coordinator, it's Fulk's job to know just what to do in case of an emergency like a flood, earthquake or tornado. He's helping the city -- from individual residents to large businesses -- get prepared for any sort of disaster it might face.

Project Impact is a program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency that began about two years ago. Cape Girardeau was recognized as the first Project Impact city in Missouri last year. As part of that recognition, the city was awarded a $500,000 grant to continue work on disaster preparedness.

Cape Girardeau was initially chosen for the designation because if its work in floodplain management, from the buyout program to construction of a floodwall. Now that flood concerns have been reduced, the city is focusing on tornado and earthquake preparedness.

Making people aware of the danger is the largest part of the job, Fulk said.

No one really knows when to predict an earthquake and with all the quakes happening in Turkey, Greece and Taiwan, people understand the possibility exists.

"I keep telling people it could happen here," Fulk said. "I don't know what it will be like, if it will be better or worse, just that it could happen."

But the disaster doesn't have to be as severe as a tornado, flood or earthquake, "it can be an individual problem like having no electricity on your block," he said.

Being prepared is the key. A flashlight, some extra cans of food and water can be handy in those sorts of emergencies.

While residents can create emergency kits from items they already have around the house or buy them already packaged, it takes a little more effort for industries and the city as a whole.

The city is developing an "all-hazard" plan on how to respond to disasters. There isn't a separate plan for each type of disaster just a plan on how to prevent or lessen the effects of a disaster and then recover from it and rebuild.

Cape Girardeau is working currently on two disaster relief projects to install flood gauges along roadways where flash flooding poses problems and to install a seismic shutoff valve on a water tank near Gordonville.

"We are taking those steps to be prepared and doing things to reduce what happens" if there is an emergency, Fulk said. "Disasters are just chaos and this is managing chaos."

Helping businesses understand the importance of disaster preparedness has been Fulk's focus lately. About 20 businesses have been trained in preparedness.

Fulk said businesses are vital to a city's recovery if disaster should strike.

"If something bad happens, the city can't recover if its businesses are destroyed," he said. Businesses have to have a plan so that the local economy isn't devastated.

When developing a disaster-preparedness plan, businesses must also consider their employees' safety and individual preparedness. "They are less likely to show up for work if there is a crisis at home," Fulk said of the employees.

Fulk said he never really wants to face the crisis. "You hope you never get tested, but you've planned for it. If you can't prevent it, then you need to be prepared."

Before coming to Cape Girardeau in July, Fulk worked for the Carbondale Project Impact and emergency preparedness agency.

His keen sense of planning, fine-tuned during an eight year stint in the military, made the prospect of a job in emergency management appealing. He attended the University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale to earn a degree and found the job that was closest to that military environment.

"I like the whole atmosphere," he said. "When you're called, you respond quickly."