By: Follow South Jersey Staff
MAYS LANDING, N.J. — Atlantic County officials are encouraging residents and community stakeholders 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 has 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,” Vince Jones, Atlantic County Emergency Management Coordinator, 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 last 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. A short informational video is available at: https://www.atlantic-county.org/hazard-mitigation.
Those who have questions or feedback may contact their municipal elected officials or local emergency management coordinator by August 31, 2021.
For more information, please contact the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management at (609) 407-6742 or by email to Vince Jones, County Emergency Management Coordinator, at jones_vincent@aclink.org or Karen Koptic, Operations and Training Officer, at koptic_karen@aclink.org.
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