The thousand-year flood or a 7.5 earthquake are nearly impossible to fend off. A one hundred-year flood, however, can be planned for and coped with. Project Impact is an example of using an ounce of prevention to avoid that proverbial pound of cure. Not by a long shot. It's true man can do little about earthquakes, tornadoes, and cloudbursts.
People rally after an emergency.
The challenge is getting people to act in advance of an emergency. That habit of reacting rather than planning cost both lives and money. Across the country, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is working with local governments to help at-risk communities become less vulnerable to natural disasters. This is something we all could and should be involved in and take note of in the future. FEMA estimates that for every dollar spent in damage prevention, two dollars are saved in repairs.