Dante is also the President of the Freeport Board of Education and a member of the Freeport Chamber of Commerce. On his own, Dante elevated his stores so that he could escape the repeated flooding in Freeport and keep his business open. Dante and other Project Impact business partners have recognized the common sense value of Project Impact - they understand that reducing disaster risks and costs will save lives, reduce losses, and help their employees, businesses and communities. The federal government and the private sector have a tremendous investment in America's universities. This investment pays off in research breakthroughs that help us find effective treatments for diseases, advance our knowledge of space, build safer buildings and highways, and train students to lead the work force of the next century.
Universities are also critical players in their local economy.
If an earthquake were to close the campus for even a short duration, its research capability would be greatly diminished and the economic impact in the surrounding area would be substantial. We are working with Berkeley to develop a model for universities to use to identify risks and take prevention actions. Also, FEMA will propose the establishment of a National Research Investment Protection fund to help universities leverage additional resources into their disaster prevention programs. Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl is leading the way on this effort and we thank him for his willingness to take on this responsibility. We will bring in officials from all 57 Project Impact communities to share success stories, to network and to learn from their peers.