Whiteside County will update its plan to reduce the damages caused by natural hazards, such as floods, tornadoes, snow storms, thunderstorms, and ice storms, among others. The Hazard Mitigation Plan and the process to update it will be funded through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA.)
“The Plan identifies activities and projects to reduce the impacts of severe weather on residents and property, before an event occurs,” said Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker. “By having an updated Hazard Mitigation Plan, the County will remain eligible for Ffederal funds to construct these projects,” he added.
The Whiteside County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee will hold its first meeting on Thursday, May 27, 2021, at 2 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will be conducted via teleconference. Persons interested in participating in the meeting should contact Zachary Krug, American Environmental Corp., at 217-585-9517, extension 8, or zkrug@aecspfld.com.
The Planning Committee includes County, Municipal, School and Fire Protection District representatives, as well as technical partners and other stakeholders. Meetings of this committee wilt be conducted over the next year as working sessions, so that any interested resident can attend and ask questions, The purpose of these working sessions is to gather and discuss information that will be used to update the plan.
“This mitigation plan is different from our County’s Emergency Response Plan, because it focuses on ways to reduce and prevent damages before they occur,” added Sheriff Booker.