County to hold second Mitigation Planning Meeting

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bourbon County is continuing the process of developing a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This mitigation plan will be the blueprint for reducing property damage and saving lives from the effects of future natural disasters in Bourbon County. This plan is funded by a Pre-disaster Mitigation Grant approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management. According to the Bourbon County Emergency Management Department, FEMA is paying 75 percent of the cost while KDEM is covering the remaining 25 percent.

The planning process includes public meetings among community leaders, businesses, and other stakeholders in emergency planning. These meetings will help identify potential mitigation measures and deficiencies in existing municipal codes and ordinances that could impact local infrastructure and critical facilities in the instance of a hazardous event. The HMP will also prioritize mitigation measures throughout the county, and proposes strategies to implement them.

There will be a planning meeting held from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, in the Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton. This meeting is for Bourbon County public agencies, city and township officials, school and school districts, non-profit agencies and public utility agencies representatives. Representatives from these agencies will be attending this meeting to participate in the continuing planning process to develop the Bourbon County Mitigation Plan. All of the cities in Bourbon County, along with the two school districts and FSCC are involved with the Mitigation Plan.

Mitigation focuses on breaking the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage, Mitigation efforts provide value to the American people by creating safer communities and reducing loss of life and property. FEMA Mitigation Planning may include such activities as:

* Complying with or exceeding National Flood insurance Plan flood plain management regulations.

* Enforcing stringent building codes, flood proofing requirements, seismic design standards and wind-bracing requirements for new construction or repairing existing buildings.

* Adopting zoning ordinances that steer development away from areas subject to flooding, storm surge, or coastal erosion.

* Retrofitting public buildings to withstand hurricane-strength winds or ground shaking.

* Acquiring damaged homes or businesses in flood-prone areas, relocating the structures, and returning the property to open space, wetlands or recreational uses.

* Building community shelters and tornado safe rooms to help protect people in their homes, public buildings, and schools in hurricane- and tornado-prone areas.

* Protecting the communities by installing storm sirens, or hail screens on public sports lighting fixtures, or improving drainage systems along public roads, or many other ideas.

While not all of these may apply to Bourbon County, Federal and Kansas guidelines will be followed where applicable.

For questions or information before the meeting, contact Keith Jeffers at (620) 223-3800 ext. 46 or by e-mail at kjeffers@bourboncountyks.org.