Joplin's Jane Cage receives first National Award for Resilience

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced today that Jane Cage, chairwoman of Joplin’s Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, and the citizens of Joplin will receive the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience, recognizing their contributions in leading the response to the catastrophic tornadoes that struck Joplin in May 2011.

“Jane Cage and the Joplin community demonstrate this spirit of resilience and strength, serving as models for communities across our nation,” Napolitano said in a news release.

Napolitano plans to travel to Joplin to present the award in 2013. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matthew Chandler said a date has not been set.

Napolitano contacted Cage with the news on Dec. 21.

“I was amazed to pick up the phone at work and hear the caller identify herself as Janet Napolitano,” said Cage, who works by day as chief operating officer for information technology firm Heartland Technology Solutions, 526 S. Main St. in Joplin. “We are humbled to be chosen as the inaugural recipients of an award in honor of such a great man. Rick Rescorla’s courage and heroism in leading people to safety on 9/11 is unmatched.”

Earlier this year, Napolitano announced the creation of the Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience, in memory of Rescorla, who on Sept. 11, 2001, led a massive evacuation of Morgan Stanley’s 2,700-person workforce located in the World Trade Center South Tower, saving the lives of many of his co-workers.

The recognition is Homeland Security’s first national resilience award for leadership and innovation by a nongovernmental individual or organization exemplifying effective preparation, response and recovery in the face of disasters.

After the tornado – which killed 161 people and injured approximately 1,000, ranking among the country’s deadliest disasters – Joplin’s Citizens Advisory Recovery Team was established to provide a forum between citizens and City Council members to foster recovery and rebuilding efforts. Cage created the Listening to Joplin plan that served as the foundation of the community’s recovery efforts in what is reportedly the costliest tornado in U.S. history. 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. Through the CART plan, the community decided together to build more resilient schools outside of the floodplain, develop stronger standards for home construction and develop shared facilities to use as storm shelters, the release said.

“This is exciting for Joplin,” Cage said. “As a community, we have all been transformed by the storm. Many ordinary people have become extraordinary leaders in the rescue and recovery efforts.”