Archive for Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Edwardsville supports countywide mitigation plan

By Nicole Kelley

March 9, 2010

Edwardsville took a step forward in preparedness Monday when it showed its support for a Wyandotte County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan.

As one of 38 jurisdictions to be included in the plan, which includes Wyandotte County cities, schools districts and private non-profits, Edwardsville will now be eligible for pre and post disaster mitigation grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“This is a really important plan for the county,” said Bob Evans, director of Wyandotte County Emergency Management, during his presentation to the council. “Mitigation planning, thinking ahead when bad things happen to the community. How could you have reduced the risk, the harm, the damage?”

The city had been working with Bonner Springs and the Unified Government to prepare the countywide plan, which focuses on identifying mitigation actions that can be implemented to reduce harm to people and property from future hazardous events.

There are no mandatory actions or costs with approving the plan, Evans said, but rather the goal is to give various entities a tool for creating a plan specific to their needs as well as providing assistance when it comes to grant applications.

For more on this subject and other action taken by the council Monday, check out the March 11 edition of the Chieftain.

Comments

  1. antonebraga (anonymous) says…

    I hope this helps. There's more to disaster preparedness/recovery than meets the eye. When it comes to our property, what do we expect in case of loss (hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, fire, etc.)? The disaster itself is news. What happens after the dust settles is the story: the aftermath shock. With a little curiosity you can mitigate that shock.

    Here is something disaster workers, authorities and the public should know. Insurance policyholders, and more importantly disaster survivors, need to be informed of access to equality--basic rights and information. The internet reaches far more people than anyone would have ever imagined, though difficult to gather those willing to pause, to inspect, to further...to think on their own. And yet, much is available gratis! It just takes looking: www.disasterprepared.net/info.html