Homeland Security director presents award to Jane Cage

(From the City of Joplin)

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced that Jane Cage, Chair of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team (CART) in Joplin Mo., and the citizens of Joplin have been awarded the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience, recognizing their contributions in the aftermath of the devastating tornadoes that struck Joplin in May 2011.

“The Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience recognizes outstanding response to a catastrophic incident and leadership in fostering resilient and prepared communities," said Secretary Napolitano. “Jane Cage and the Joplin community demonstrate this spirit of resilience and strength, serving as models for communities across our nation.”

As Chair of CART in Joplin, Jane Cage demonstrated exceptional leadership in helping the Joplin community recover from the devastating May tornado. After the tornado, the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team was established to provide a forum between citizens and the City Council as the community recovers and rebuilds. Jane Cage created the “Listening to Joplin” plan, which served as the foundation of the community’s recovery efforts. CART used a variety of opportunities to reach members across the community, including those who were personally overwhelmed by their own losses from the storm.

The entire Joplin community played an important role in the recovery process, deciding together to build more resilient schools outside of the floodplain, develop stronger standards for home construction, and to develop shared facilities to use as storm shelters.

The Joplin tornado, which killed 161 people and injured approximately 1,000, ranks as one of the deadliest disasters in United States' history, and is the costliest tornado in U.S. history.

Earlier this year, Secretary Napolitano announced the creation of the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience, in memory of Richard "Rick" Rescorla, who on September 11, 2001 led a massive evacuation of Morgan Stanley's 2,700-person workforce located in the South Tower, saving the lives of many of his coworkers.

The Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience is the Department of Homeland Security’s first national resilience award for superior leadership and innovation by a non-governmental individual or organization who exemplifies the qualities and achievements of Rick Rescorla, emphasizing leadership in effective preparation, response, and recovery in the face of disasters.