CITY LOOKS TO STRONG DISASTER PLANNING

Let's face it: Cape Girardeau happens to be located in a disaster-prone area. There is the potential of flooding, not just from the mighty Mississippi River, but from drainage creeks that slice through the town. There is the potential of tornadoes, thanks to being geographically situated where weather conditions are frequently ripe for destructive storms. There is the potential for earthquakes, not just because of the city's nearness to the New Madrid fault, but because of many more smaller faults that have been detected in recent years.

Then there are fires, chemical spills, power outages, disruptions in water supplies, terrorist bombers, airliner crashes -- is this starting to sound like the plagues of Egypt? While the hapless Egyptians had a cold-hearted pharaoh to blame for their woes, Cape Girardeau is in a position to prepare for disasters and, indeed, is in the forefront nationally in this regard.

Many steps already have been taken to make sure the city -- its offices, factories, retail businesses, schools, hospitals and various modes of transportation -- are prepared for a major disaster. Many Cape Girardeans have only to recall the tornado of 1949 or the West End flood of 1986 to understand the scope of natural disasters. Many businesses, industrial plants and institutions such as schools and hospitals already have disaster plans. Some are elaborate and complete. Others are bare-bones plans. Even in instances where plans have been made, they have too often been forgotten, or newer employees haven't been educated about them.

And, of course, there are a lot of businesses that simply haven't given a lot of thought to what they would do if disaster struck.

That's the purpose of Project Impact. Cape Girardeau is the first community in the state to be tapped for intensive disaster planning by both state and federal agencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency -- the same FEMA that we heard so much about during the floods of the past decade -- has a $500,000 seed grant available for the city's startup efforts to develop a comprehensive disaster plan.

To accomplish this goal, which up till now has been energized by city officials, there is a need for a strong public-private partnership. Businesses will be asked to join in the overall effort. And there is good reason for them to be interested. Preparation often can go a long way in getting a business up and running quickly after a disaster, which means there is less interruption in the revenue stream and cash flow.

This laps over to government as well, because Cape Girardeau in particular is heavily dependent on sales-tax revenue for most vital city operations. If a large portion of the business community were idled by a major disaster for very long, city revenue would suffer, which would affect the ability to provide essential services.

There is much to be done with Project Impact, which is expected to take several years to implement fully. But a start has to be made. By being designated as a Project Impact city, Cape Girardeau is well on its way toward this goal.