Amador County – The Amador County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services is leading the development of a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update and is inviting the public to a kickoff meeting Wednesday, May 9.
Amador OES Sergeant John Silva announced the meeting for the plan update, which will better position resources to address potential natural hazards before they occur and to maintain eligibility for mitigation funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Silva said Amador County, participating cities and districts, neighboring communities, state and local agencies, and other interested stakeholders are invited to participate in the planning effort.
The plan updates the 2006 Multi Hazard Mitigation Plan, and it will address a comprehensive list of natural hazards, including flood, earthquake, wildfire, dam failure and severe weather. It will assess the likely impacts of such hazards to the people and assets of Amador County. The plan will also establish updated goals and prioritize projects to reduce the impacts of future disasters on people and property.
Silva said participating jurisdictions and local stakeholder attendance is invited and encouraged. The purpose of the kickoff meeting is to inform the planning committee and other interested stakeholders about the purpose and process of the plan update and to describe how to participate and the benefits of doing so.
Silva said nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually helping communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals recover from disasters. Some disasters are predictable and, in many cases, much of the damage can be reduced or even eliminated.
FEMA has targeted natural disaster loss reduction as one of its primary goals. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires local governments to have a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan to maintain eligibility for certain federal disaster assistance and hazard mitigation funding programs.
Hazard mitigation is defined as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and property from hazards, Silva said. Hazard mitigation planning is the process by which hazards that threaten a community are identified, their likely impacts are assessed, mitigation goals are set, and appropriate strategies for reducing risk are developed, prioritized, and implemented.
The Amador Sheriff’s OES has taken the initiative to develop this plan. Amador OES has drawn on the expertise of consultants with AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, a firm that specializes in hazard mitigation and emergency management.
Amador OES and the consultants will organize a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee to facilitate development of the plan update. Community stakeholders, including the public are invited to be part of the committee.
The kickoff meeting will be held starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 9 in Conference Room C of the Amador County Admin Center, at 810 Court Street in Jackson.
For more information and how to be involved, contact Silva at Amador Sheriff’s OES, at 209-223-6384.
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