The public input period is now open for the initial draft of the Linn County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2014-2019, and will be ending on September 2, 2014. The plan presented by Alicia Presto of the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) can be found at www.ecicog.org/linn-county and is open for anyone to provide input.
Input for the plan can be emailed to [email protected] or sent by mail to Alicia Presto at ECICOG on 700 Sixteenth Street NE, Suite 301, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. When providing input please provide the city you are located in, your affiliation (if applicable), and reference the plan in your email subject line or on the front of the envelope.
During the public input period the plan will concurrently be reviewed by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VII office.
The Linn County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2014-2019 will help to update and unify all the municipalities that have their own mitigation plans. It will also ensure that Linn County, cities, and school districts included in this plan will continue to be eligible to apply for Hazard Mitigation Assistance funding.
The importance of hazard mitigation planning was recognized in the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, as it helps identify how a community can minimize the negative impacts of natural, human caused, and combination hazards. This type of planning attempts to minimize death, injury, property damage, and community disruption. For Iowa and Linn County, recurring natural disasters such as windstorms, flooding, and ice storms have made local hazard mitigation planning an essential activity.
Hazard related photos, such as storms, flooding, snow drifts, etc., in Linn County area are also being accepted for use in the plan. If you are interested in submitting a photo or have any additional questions regarding the plan please email Alicia Presto at [email protected]