Representatives of area jurisdictions who attended a meeting in Syracuse Tuesday, Sept. 23, were asked to compile hazard identification, hazard occurrences, preliminary goals and objectives and potential mitigation alternatives. It is part of the development of a multijurisdictional hazard mitigation plan.

The representatives were asked to return the information in two months.

The Syracuse meeting was the third of four initial meetings in the Nemaha Natural Resources District (NNRD) primary service area. NNRD officials hired JEO Consulting Group, Inc. to develop the plan. JEO Consulting Group, Inc. officials have worked with officials of 20 municipalities in Otoe, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee and Richardson counties, the counties to be covered by the plan.

Previous initial meetings were at Tecumseh and Humboldt. Scott Nelson, NNRD assistant manager, said that the previous meetings had larger attendance and more interaction. The final initial meeting is Thursday, Oct. 2, at Auburn.

The hazard mitigation plan involves initial public involvement and input. Analysis and draft plan development follows. A second round of public involvement and input will be followed by finalization of the plan.

Anyone with questions on this planning effort can contact Gregg Goebel, Otoe County emergency manager, at 402-873-9500 otoeema@alltel.net or Bob Hilske, NNRD, 402-335-3325, bhilske@nemahanrd.org.

The second round of mitigation alternative meetings will likely be in the spring of 2009. That will involve finalizing goals and objectives, prioritizing mitigation alternatives and identifying projects with each participant, and discussing and reviewing the first draft of the plan. The plan will be finalized and submitted to officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Nebraska Emergency Management Agency in the summer of 2009 for review and approval. Each participating jurisdiction will approve a resolution upon completion of the plan.

Officials of each county, village, city and other taxing authorities such as school districts located in the five counties are eligible and encouraged to participate in the planning process. The plan will not include public power districts.

Hazard mitigation planning is proactive and allows jurisdiction officials to act before disasters occur to reduce or eliminate future threats. The hazard mitigation plan is a community-guided document that will identify each participating jurisdiction’s vulnerability to natural disasters such as flood, drought, earthquake, wildfire, winter storm, tornado and high wind storm and dam failure.

The plan will set goals, establish mitigation alternatives, and prioritize projects for each jurisdiction to help alleviate potential damages to life and property when future disasters occur.

To participate in the plan, at least one designated representative from each jurisdiction must attend, according to FEMA requirements. Through the meetings, participants will identify areas which are vulnerable to events and identify projects to alleviate damages.

Hazard mitigation plans are required by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. A jurisdiction must have a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan to receive pre-hazard project grant funds. Once a hazard mitigation plan is developed and adopted, the jurisdiction will also be eligible for pre-disaster mitigation project grants to implement the mitigation solutions identified in the plan.