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December 16, 1999
For Immediate Release
For more information, contact Jennifer Grover or Bruce McIntosh at PCA (847) 966-6200.
PCA Hosts Field Trip, Donates Concrete Safe Room at FEMA Summit
Public/Private partnership continues safe room initiative
The Portland Cement Association teamed up once again with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to educate communities about safe rooms at FEMA’s Project Impact Summit, Dec. 12–16, 1999, in Washington, D.C. The summit is a gathering of public officials and administrators, educators, media, non-profits, and other agencies and individuals committed to building safer communities.
PCA hosted a concrete safe room seminar and field trip on Sunday, Dec. 12. The seminar will included a brief discussion on the benefits of insulating concrete forms (ICFs), a concrete wall system used in homebuilding and often employed in safe room construction. Safe rooms are small, windowless rooms that are completely enclosed in concrete, and offer excellent shelter from tornadoes and hurricanes; they can be built as part of a new home or can be added to existing homes.
After the seminar, attendees went on a tour of the nearby Nation’s Capital Showcase Concrete Homes at Washington Square in La Plata, Maryland. (LaPlata is located in Charles County, one of nearly 200 Project Impact communities in the U.S.) The 81-unit townhome project uses ICFs, and attendees were able to see units under construction and speak with one of the project developers.
FEMA Director James Lee Witt praised the Washington Square project for its incorporation of Project Impact ideals, saying it "has set an example for new disaster-resistant homes across the country. " He added that "it is my hope that other homeowners, businesses, and communities throughout the United States will use Charles County, the Washington Square project, and Project Impact as models in disaster resistance and prevention."
Lionel Lemay, director of residential programs for PCA, said the partnership with FEMA to promote safe rooms is a natural fit. "We are committed to furthering the Project Impact philosophy in new homes and buildings," he said. He added that tour attendees benefited from seeing construction in progress at the development in La Plata.
"We believe the Washington Square project demonstrates that new structures can inexpensively and easily incorporate disaster-resistant features to save lives, money, and the buildings themselves," said Lemay.
At FEMA’s awards ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 15, PCA and American Polysteel (an ICF supplier) presented a free concrete safe room to the 1999 Project Impact Model Community. Evansville, Indiana, received the Model Community Award for demonstrating innovation in helping its community become disaster resistant. Their accomplishments include retrofitting firehouses against earthquakes and tornadoes and amending building codes to require new buildings to be constructed to withstand 110-mph winds. PCA and American Polysteel will share the cost of materials and labor for building the safe room and work with the community to promote disaster resistant construction throughout the year.
PCA’s role in the Project Impact Summit stems from an ongoing partnership between PCA and FEMA, forged this summer in the wake of devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma. Working together, the two organizations developed construction plans for concrete safe rooms that are now included in the FEMA publication, Taking Shelter From the Storm. Almost 500 homeowners and homebuilders attended educational safe room seminars across Oklahoma this summer, and both PCA and FEMA continue to focus efforts on educating the public on the benefits of safe rooms.
Based in Skokie, Illinois, the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the U.S. and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.
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