Updated plan to ease the burden of natural disasters
CHENANGO COUNTY – Having dealt with a number of natural disasters in recent years, Chenango County planning execs are working closely with municipalities across the county to update a hazard mitigation plan to keep residents and their property safe during inclement weather.
Efforts to update the county’s hazard mitigation plan are being promoted among elected officials throughout the area and via the county’s website. The project, which is a collaborative work between municipal leaders and the county’s department of planning and development, includes strategies to lessen flooding as well as other widespread natural disasters, and outlines the county’s intent to use FEMA assistance should a natural disaster be declared by federal standards.
“It’s a project that requires a lot of work from our office just to gather information from all the towns and villages in the county,” said Chenango County Planning and Development Director Donna Jones. “FEMA wants towns to have a long-range plan to know how to identify problems and correct those problems before a disaster happens.”
FEMA requires the county to update its hazard mitigation plan every five years in order to qualify for federal assistance, Jones explained. “Without this plan, FEMA won’t provide emergency grant funding if a disaster occurs in any municipality in the county,” she said. “Right now, we’re working with highway superintendents and town supervisors to gather all the information we need to meet (FEMA) requirements.”
Since the last hazard mitigation plan for Chenango County was adopted in 2008, the five-year benchmark has come and gone. The county needed to prove to FEMA that it started the process for an updated plan in September, 2013, and now has until mid-fall to complete it.
The county has also contracted with a New Jersey based company called Tetra Tech, Inc., a provider of consultation, engineering and technical services. The company is the original architect of the county’s 2008 hazard mitigation plan, said Jones. And although the contract for consulting services comes with a $70,000 price tag to local taxpayers, she argued it’s well worth the investment.
“We paid (Tetra Tech) $70,000 to be the consultant in 2008, but we gained over $12 million in federal assistance for natural disasters. That’s a good return of investment,” she said.
There’s also hope the county will receive a federal grant to defray costs of hiring a consultant. Though it was unclear last year that such grants would be available, FEMA announced this summer that it will continue a program that provides cost assistance to counties looking to update their hazard mitigation plans.
Jones said she hopes to know if Chenango County qualifies for assistance within the coming weeks.
In addition to flooding which chiefly impacts townships along the rivers in the county, the hazard mitigation plan will also address weather hazards that include high winds, hail, lighting, landslides, tornados, earthquakes, and severe winter weather.
The Chenango County Department of Planning and Development is presently reaching out to local and regional stakeholders to provide input on the planning process. Chenango residents are encouraged to take an online survey available on the homepage of the county’s website, www.co.chenango.ny.us.
Efforts to update the county’s hazard mitigation plan are being promoted among elected officials throughout the area and via the county’s website. The project, which is a collaborative work between municipal leaders and the county’s department of planning and development, includes strategies to lessen flooding as well as other widespread natural disasters, and outlines the county’s intent to use FEMA assistance should a natural disaster be declared by federal standards.
“It’s a project that requires a lot of work from our office just to gather information from all the towns and villages in the county,” said Chenango County Planning and Development Director Donna Jones. “FEMA wants towns to have a long-range plan to know how to identify problems and correct those problems before a disaster happens.”
FEMA requires the county to update its hazard mitigation plan every five years in order to qualify for federal assistance, Jones explained. “Without this plan, FEMA won’t provide emergency grant funding if a disaster occurs in any municipality in the county,” she said. “Right now, we’re working with highway superintendents and town supervisors to gather all the information we need to meet (FEMA) requirements.”
Since the last hazard mitigation plan for Chenango County was adopted in 2008, the five-year benchmark has come and gone. The county needed to prove to FEMA that it started the process for an updated plan in September, 2013, and now has until mid-fall to complete it.
The county has also contracted with a New Jersey based company called Tetra Tech, Inc., a provider of consultation, engineering and technical services. The company is the original architect of the county’s 2008 hazard mitigation plan, said Jones. And although the contract for consulting services comes with a $70,000 price tag to local taxpayers, she argued it’s well worth the investment.
“We paid (Tetra Tech) $70,000 to be the consultant in 2008, but we gained over $12 million in federal assistance for natural disasters. That’s a good return of investment,” she said.
There’s also hope the county will receive a federal grant to defray costs of hiring a consultant. Though it was unclear last year that such grants would be available, FEMA announced this summer that it will continue a program that provides cost assistance to counties looking to update their hazard mitigation plans.
Jones said she hopes to know if Chenango County qualifies for assistance within the coming weeks.
In addition to flooding which chiefly impacts townships along the rivers in the county, the hazard mitigation plan will also address weather hazards that include high winds, hail, lighting, landslides, tornados, earthquakes, and severe winter weather.
The Chenango County Department of Planning and Development is presently reaching out to local and regional stakeholders to provide input on the planning process. Chenango residents are encouraged to take an online survey available on the homepage of the county’s website, www.co.chenango.ny.us.
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