On December 27, 2012, Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Ms. Jane Cage, Chair of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team (CART) in Joplin MO, and the citizens of the city of Joplin, had been awarded the 2012 Rick Rescorla Award for Resilience. They were recognized for their contribution in the aftermath of the devastating F5 tornado that struck the town on Sunday May 22, 2011. The tornado, which is now listed as one of the deadliest to strike the United States since 1947, killed 161 people and injured over 1,000 people. It is currently ranked as the “costliest tornado” in U.S. history. At its peak intensity, the tornado had a base of over a mile as it tore through the southern part of Joplin.

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

The press release on the award described the work of Ms. Cage and of CART. “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.”