CITY GETS $25,000 FOR QUAKE RESISTANCE

A grant from the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program will help make Cape Girardeau a more disaster-resistant community.

The city of Cape Girardeau and the Cape Girardeau School District have received joint funding totaling $25,000 for earthquake mitigation.

The school district has received $17,000 and the city $8,000.

"For the most part, what we're trying to do with the money is to increase the likelihood of habitability of the buildings in the event of a natural disaster," said David Giles, associate superintendent of schools.

The grant will help pay for such things as securing lighting fixtures that might fall during an earthquake; securing large equipment, including boilers and water heaters; putting shatterproof film on windows; removing glass skylights and fitting gas appliances with flexible lines to prevent ruptures at the schools.

"For the most part, we're looking at using the money for the big stuff," Giles said.

The city's share of the funding will be used to protect the emergency operations equipment and communications equipment at Fire Station No. 1 and at the police station.

Communications equipment will be secured, shatterproof film will be put on all work area windows, and flexible lines will be installed on all gas appliances and emergency fuel tanks.

The city of Cape Girardeau will administer the funding, which is awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the State Emergency Management Agency.