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FEMA Is Also in the Prevention Business

Agency funds preparation projects; some scientists want to see more

By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 15, 2009 2:03 PM CST

(Newser) – FEMA may be best known for its response in times of crisis, but it also tries to provide help before disaster strikes, NPR reports. In the tiny Missouri hamlet of Niangua, a tornado shelter mostly funded by the agency will soon be able to house the entire town—a relief for citizens who have seen eight natural disasters in just a couple of years.

Disaster-mitigation specialists herald this type of project, but many say that FEMA hasn't done nearly enough in the direction of prevention. One expert says he hopes the new administration will restore funding to the preparedness programs.

An overturned car rests near a mobile home destroyed by a tornado near Niangua, Mo., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. A woman living in a nearby trailer was killed in the storm.
An overturned car rests near a mobile home destroyed by a tornado near Niangua, Mo., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. A woman living in a nearby trailer was killed in the storm.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Authorities began assessing damage after rare winter tornadoes hit sections of Missouri, leaving at least two people dead and reports of flooding in some areas.
Authorities began assessing damage after rare winter tornadoes hit sections of Missouri, leaving at least two people dead and reports of flooding in some areas.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Lightning flashes through the sky as neighbors look through the wreckage of a home destroyed by a tornado near Niangua, Mo., Monday, Jan. 7, 2008.
Lightning flashes through the sky as neighbors look through the wreckage of a home destroyed by a tornado near Niangua, Mo., Monday, Jan. 7, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
James O'Neal Jr. salvages clothes from the wreckage of his home after it was destroyed, apparently by a tornado, near Niangua, Mo., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008.
James O'Neal Jr. salvages clothes from the wreckage of his home after it was destroyed, apparently by a tornado, near Niangua, Mo., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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