Taxpayers pay billions of dollars each year for disaster recovery. Some events are predictable, and often, damages can be reduced or eliminated. Story County Emergency Management and local jurisdictions have been working to develop a hazard mitigation plan to guide our efforts at reducing future risk due to natural or man-made disasters.
A draft of the revised Story County Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update is now available and public input is requested before the plan is finalized. From December 1 to December 14, residents can view hard copies the final draft plan, during normal business hours at the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, at the Adult Services Desk and at the Story County Emergency Management Office in the Story County Administrative Building, 900 6th Street, Nevada. Please contact the Story County Emergency Management office to schedule an appointment to ensure staff are available to provide access to the documents. The final draft plans are also available online through google docs at: http://bit.ly/StoryCountyHMP. If the public has inputs or comments on the plan, they can be provided through a survey site at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/storyHMPcomments
“Jurisdictions want residents to be informed about strategies in the Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update and they are looking public input ensure they meet the community’s needs.” Keith Morgan, Story County EMA Coordinator explained. “Public comments will be considered by the Hazard Mitigation Planning Team and incorporated into the final plan, as appropriate.”
The updated plan will also be reviewed by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department (Iowa HSEMD) and then submitted to FEMA for review and approval. The final plan must be approved by the governing body of each participating jurisdiction,Iowa HSEMD and FEMA before becoming official.
Story County Emergency Management invited representatives from County departments, the incorporated cities, public school districts, Iowa State University and other mitigation planning stakeholders to work together to develop this plan update.The planning Team addressed 19 hazards—ranging from drought and severe winter storms to tornadoes and flooding—and considered the impacts of these events on local communities. Based on the results of an updated risk assessment of the hazards, team members updated the strategies for their jurisdictions to reduce damages caused by the various hazards. The team consulted with Wood Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. to assist with the plan update and ensure that the final plan meets federal regulations.
For more information on this planning effort, or to schedule an appointment to view a hard copy of the plan, please contact Keith Morgan, Story County Emergency Management Coordinator at 515-382-7315 or via email at storycntyiaem@storycountyiowa.gov.
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