Atlantic County residents and community stakeholders are encouraged to ask questions, share comments and offer suggestions regarding the Atlantic County Hazard Mitigation Plan as the county and its municipalities work to update the plan and promote disaster-resistance and community resiliency.
The county has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the costs of these updates.
Once finalized, the updated plan is expected to be reapproved by FEMA and adopted by participating communities in 2022. Each of the county’s 23 municipalities agreed to participate in a multi-jurisdictional approach.
“Having the participation of all 23 towns will further enhance the coordination of our efforts and implementation of this countywide plan,” Atlantic County Emergency Management Coordinator Vince Jones said.
Hazard mitigation is essential to reducing the long-term risks associated with natural disasters, including property loss, loss of life, economic hardship and threats to public health and safety.
A hazard mitigation plan identifies an area’s vulnerabilities to natural hazards and provides a mitigation strategy to reduce key risks.
All states and local governments are required to have a hazard mitigation plan to be eligible to apply for certain federal grants.
The county’s plan was first adopted in 2010 and updated in 2016. The focus of the past decade has been on completing mitigation strategy projects.
The 2016 hazard mitigation plan is available for review on the county website at: https://www.atlantic-county.org/hazard-mitigation/plan-final.asp.
Those who have questions or feedback may contact their municipal elected officials or local emergency management coordinator by Aug. 31.
For more information, please contact the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management at (609) 407-6742 or by email to Vince Jones at jones_vincent@aclink.org or Operations and Training Officer Karen Koptic, at koptic_karen@aclink.org.
