"Last week I visited a subdivision of 54 homes in Wichita, Kansas. The families were going through the wreckage of their homes...sifting through the muck and stink left when the Arkansas River overflowed its banks on Nov. 1. People were pulling out their carpets and putting their water soaked furniture on their curb. It was a terrible scene but one I have witnessed over and over again in the past 5 years. In fact, it was a scene that had been repeated five times in recent years in this very subdivision. The sad truth is, this scene should never have taken place much less been repeated. The fact is...we have the opportunity to cut losses...the know-how to reduce risks...and the responsibility to save lives. But it means we must change the way we think and plan and budget. It means that instead of responding to disasters...we must prevent them...instead of waiting to react, we prepare NOW for the next flood, hurricane, fire or earthquake. And that's exactly what we have been doing at FEMA through our Project Impact initiative to build disaster resistant communities. We are working with our State and local partners in 57 communities all across America...and we are changing the face of emergency management in this country...we are shifting to proactive prevention.... These days, disasters are becoming daily occurrences. Regardless of whether you believe the cause is global warming or natural changes in weather patterns, there is no disagreement that the frequency and severity of what we call "weather events" are on the rise". (Witt, Disaster Recovery Journal)