May 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 24

ADVOCACY

Parks and Natural Disaster Preparedness
Parks can play a multi-faceted role in keeping communities safe from Earth's outbursts
By Joel Pannell

W

hen public-service agencies are identified as first responders for emergencies and natural disasters, park and recreation departments are
not often thought of as being near the top of the list. Increasingly,
however, parks and public land agencies are starting to play an essential role in
emergency preparedness and disaster response. This is especially true for events
related to natural resources and land management, such as floods, hurricanes and
other extreme weather events. As critical components of protective infrastructure, parks should be seen in a new light - as essential investments for the public
good, which are therefore deserving of funding and stewardship. This is a new
element to advocacy for parks, but it may prove to be one of the most compelling
reasons for elected officials to support park and recreation expenditures.
Unfortunately, we now live in a world
where both the frequency and intensity
of natural disasters are increasing. The
costs of responding to such disasters
and rebuilding damaged infrastructure
has made every community start to look
more seriously at how they can prepare
for the unthinkable and who and what
they need for effective response.

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Parks & Recreation

Communities across the country
are looking at better ways to incorporate emergency preparedness and
disaster response into long-term planning, especially in terms of green infrastructure solutions, that is, the use
of natural systems and resources to
slow and stop the destructive force of
damaging stormwater. Communities

| M AY 2 0 1 3 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

that have been hit or those that are
likely to be hit are developing better
long-term plans for protecting developed infrastructure, particularly
through use of natural systems, and
more efficient means of responding
and recovering from the damages
that floods, storms and other events
leave in their wake. They are finding that parks and public recreation
lands can play an important role in
both preparation and response strategies while at the same time providing
many benefits when they are not defending against storm events.
Last October, Superstorm Sandy
devastated the northeastern seaboard,
resulting in nearly 150 deaths, destruction or damages to more than one
million homes and businesses, and
an estimated $70 billion in damages



May 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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