Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan
Josephine County Emergency Management is seeking additional public feedback on its updated Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, which informs decisions and actions for area leaders, partner agencies and stakeholders to reduce impacts prior to, or during the recovery from, a natural disaster.
Those with feedback are invited to email their remarks to em@josephinecounty.gov. Comments will be accepted through May 13.
“A natural hazard mitigation plan provides communities with a set of goals, action items and resources designed to reduce risk from future natural disaster events,” said Emily Ring, Josephine County Emergency Management director. “Although it feels like an administrative-level plan for most folks, the actions and project goals within can be of direct impact, so we encourage communication within the various communities during the planning process.”
Ring also noted that there was a community engagement effort conducted earlier this year within communities where area residents participated in a survey about hazard mitigation and preparedness. Several participants were selected at random and were able to receive a small raffle prize as a thank you for their active participation.
The NHMP is being updated in cooperation with the University of Oregon’s Community Service Center — Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience and the Office of Emergency Management using funds obtained from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. With re-adoption of the plan, Josephine County will maintain its eligibility to apply for federal funding toward natural hazard mitigation projects. It becomes an additional tool for the two city jurisdictions (which participated in creating city addendum updates to the county plan), as well as Josephine County, to pursue recovery and post-disaster mitigation efforts when applicable under FEMA-level responses.
Engaging in mitigation activities provides jurisdictions with a number of benefits, including reduced loss of life, property, essential services, critical facilities and economic hardship; reduced short-term and long-term recovery and reconstruction costs; and increased potential for state and federal funding for recovery and reconstruction projects.
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