Houston County has completed an updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is now seeking public feedback. Like all Minnesota counties, Houston County is vulnerable to a variety of natural hazards such as tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought, and extreme temperatures, which can threaten the loss of life and property in the county. Planning for natural disasters minimizes the impact of events that can cause vast economic loss and personal hardship.
All county residents, as well as other interested agency or organizational stakeholders are strongly encouraged to review and offer feedback on the interactive website, PDF of the draft plan, and proposed local mitigation actions. The review and comment period is open for a period of 15 days through November 26, 2024. The public can access the plan using the following hyperlinks:
Houston County HMP Website Homepage (feedback form at the bottom of page)
Houston County Mitigation Action Charts (feedback form at the bottom of page)
The Houston County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Houston County, including all cities and townships within the county. The Houston County HMP also incorporates the concerns and needs of other key stakeholders such as school districts and related agencies, organizations, or businesses participating in the planning process.
Update of the plan has been under direction of Houston County Emergency Management in cooperation with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from county departments, city and township governments and other participating stakeholders. Together, the planning team worked to identify cost-effective and sustainable actions to reduce or eliminate the Hazard mitigation planning helps Houston County and other jurisdictions protect their residents. 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, increasing public awareness of natural disasters and encouraging personal preparedness helps to create a community that is resilient to disaster, and breaks the cycle of response and recovery. Updating the plan further allows Houston County and its jurisdictions to be eligible to apply for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program funding for projects that help to reduce or eliminate the impacts of future natural hazard events.
Community feedback is vital to the success of the plan. Houston County invites public review and feedback of the draft plan prior to submitting it to the State of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review. Feedback may be provided via the online comment forms or directly to Houston County Emergency Management.
Contact:
Mark Olson
Houston County Emergency Management Director Phone: (507) 725-5834
Email: mark.olson@co.houston.mn.us
Downloadable PDF of this news release: Houston-CO-News-Release-HMP-Public-Review-111224