Mason County is seeking comments from the public on the County’s Draft Mitigation Plan. In March 2017, Mason County and its planning partners embarked on a planning process to prepare for impacts of disasters.
Responding to federal mandates in the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390), the partnership was formed to pool resources and create a uniform hazard mitigation strategy that can be consistently applied to the defined planning area. This planning partnership, made up of the County, the City of Shelton, and four (4) special purpose districts within Mason County has now completed that effort. The planning process was led by Mason County Department of Emergency Management with support from Bridgeview Consulting, LLC, the primary technical consultant. The project was funded by a planning grant from FEMA, and took approximately 10 months to complete.
During this process, citizens were asked to contribute by sharing local knowledge of the region’s vulnerability to hazards based on past occurrences, as well as identify initiatives which could help reduce the level of impact of those hazards. Public involvement was solicited via a multi-media campaign that included: press releases; public council/board presentations and meetings; web-based information; questionnaires, and safety fairs. Many of these efforts were televised.
That process has now culminated with the development of the Draft 2018 Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan, which is now available for review and comment at the informational website established for this planning effort at:
http://www.co.mason.wa.us/dem/2017-hazard-mitigation-plan-update.php
The public is highly encouraged to provide input on the draft plan to Tammi Wright, Sr. Emergency Management Coordinator at [email protected] or via phone at (360) 427-7535. The comment period will be open until January 8, 2018.