Otoe County residents are encouraged to offer suggestions and learn more about natural disaster precautions at a public meeting scheduled at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the OPPD public meeting room, 935 11th St.

Gregg Goebel, emergency management director, said public input is valuable for the development of a five-county plan to reduce the costs of lives and property to natural disasters.

He said the public might suggest a public tornado shelter, warning sirens in villages and rural housing developments and a variety of other ways to protect people from wind, flooding and range fires.

“This is a mitigation plan. We want to identify our vulnerabilities and fix problems before they happen,” he said.

The Nemaha Natural Resources District has hired JEO Consulting Group to develop a multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan.

Goebel said the plan will include ways to protect the domestic water supply from floods that undercut shallow water lines.