CHENANGO COUNTY - The Chenango County Department of Planning is soliciting local input as it progresses in the early stages of a months-long effort to update the county’s hazard mitigation plan.

The hazard mitigation plan addresses the natural threats, including floods, fires, and damaging storms that have a history of devastating local homeowners and entire communities.

“There’s a lot of events that could impact our area. All our river valleys during a storm are particularly in the line of fire. Or it could be a huge snow storm like we’ve had in the past where every town gets it,” said Chenango County Planning Director Shane Butler. “So it could be anything, anywhere.”

The goal of the hazard mitigation plan is to save lives and lessen the impact of such disasters on all of Chenango County, officials say. But it all starts by gathering local feedback.

“We’re asking the public to fill out a survey,” said Butler. “That’s our current phase in the process. Our next step will be the mitigation strategy, where we take what people have said and what they feel is the biggest hazard, and we come up with strategies to mitigate what those events and weaknesses are. Then we’ll go from writing the plan to adopting it.”