Emergency management seeks volunteers to finish hazard-mitigation plan before FEMA deadline

Pryor Creek’s emergency management coordinator told the council the city is midway through updating its five-year hazard-mitigation plan and aims to submit the plan to FEMA before April 1, when the current plan expires.

The coordinator said the plan identifies projects the city may pursue over the next five years; some projects require no city funding, such as individual safe-room grants. He said FEMA has reimbursed individuals up to $3,000 in past programs for purchasing and installing certain shelters and noted that not all mitigation projects require local dollars.

The coordinator asked for two to three volunteers from city staff to attend an hour-long meeting series to complete the plan and meet FEMA eligibility requirements. He said the meetings are short and that volunteers would need to attend only a couple of them before the plan is ready to submit.

Why it matters
A FEMA-approved hazard-mitigation plan is typically required for cities to be eligible for certain mitigation grants and projects. Submitting an updated plan keeps the city eligible for future federal mitigation funding and identifies low-cost or no-cost projects residents could pursue.

What’s next
Staff will recruit two to three volunteers to assist with the remaining plan tasks and aim to submit the completed plan to FEMA before April 1.