County seeks comment on Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan

Rock County has completed an updated draft of its Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) and is now seeking public feedback on it.
Citizens can find a link to review the plan and offer feedback by visiting z.umn.edu/rock_hmp.
The review and comment period is open through Sunday, Jan. 16. After that, the county will submit the draft plan to the state of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review.
The Rock County MHMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Rock County, including the cities of Beaver Creek, Hardwick, Hills, Jasper, Kenneth, Luverne, Magnolia and Steen.
The Rock County plan also incorporates the concerns and needs of townships, school districts and other stakeholders participating in the plan.
“Rock County is vulnerable to a variety of potential natural disasters, which threaten the loss of life and property in the county,” said Rock County administrator and emergency management director Kyle Oldre.
“The plan addresses how to mitigate against hazards such as tornadoes, flooding, wildland fires, blizzards, straight-line winds, ice storms, and droughts which have the potential for inflicting vast economic loss and personal hardship.”
Oldre has been working with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from county departments, city and township governments, school districts, and other key stakeholders.
“Together, the planning team worked to identify cost-effective and sustainable actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life or property from natural hazards,” he said.
Some examples include:
•improving roads and culverts that are prone to repetitive flooding;
•constructing safe rooms at campgrounds, public parks, mobile home parks or schools to protect lives in the event of tornados or severe wind events;
•burying powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice or wind storms;
•ensuring timely emergency communication to the public through warning sirens and mass notification systems, and
•conducting public awareness and education campaigns to help people be prepared to take safe action before, during, or following a hazard event.
“Hazard mitigation planning helps Rock County and other jurisdictions protect their residents,” Oldre said.
“Working with local communities through the process helps identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate the effects of a potential hazard.”
In addition, he said, increasing public awareness of local hazards and disaster preparedness helps to create a community that is resilient to disaster, and it breaks the cycle of response and recovery.
Updating the plan positions the county and its jurisdictions to apply for future Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant funding from FEMA for projects that will help to reduce or eliminate impacts of future natural disaster events.
“Community feedback is vital to the success of the plan,” Oldre said.
Residents can review the draft and provide feedback either online or directly to Rock County Emergency Management.
Oldre can be reached at 507-283-5065 or kyle.oldre@co.rock.mn.us.