June 13, 2018

Franklin County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update is Underway

The Franklin County Department of Emergency Services is leading an update of the County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). This plan supports safer communities and allows for future funding.

June 13, 2018 – Chambersburg – The Franklin County Department of Emergency Services is leading an update of the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP).  This plan identifies natural and man-made hazards and risks prevalent in Franklin County and proposes actions or projects that can be implemented ahead of disasters to reduce loss and damages, keeping our communities safer places to live.

The HMP is a foundational document that helps define the threat environment for all emergency preparedness and planning efforts in the county and supports the goals and objectives identified in the Pennsylvania State Hazard Mitigation Plan.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires that counties formally update their HMP every 5 years.

The HMP is now more important than ever as it enables the municipalities in our county which adopt this plan to compete for federal disaster mitigation funding. Every mitigation grant program sponsored by FEMA requires applicants to have a federally-approved hazard mitigation plan (HMP).

The latest HMP update began in July 2017 and must be completed prior to May 2019.  A team consisting of county, municipal, school district, and local industry leaders as well as members of the Franklin County general public have been involved in the updating process. The final plan will need to be approved by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) as well as FEMA before it can be adopted at the local level. 

The next HMP Update Meeting will be held on Monday, June 18th at the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services located at 390 New York Ave, Chambersburg, PA 17201 from 12pm – 2pm.  This meeting is open to the public.

To review the draft of the updated Franklin County HMP, please visit: www.franklincountypa.gov. Comments on the plan may be sent to hmp@franklincountypa.gov and specific questions may be directed to Emergency Management Coordinator Jacob Crider or HMP Planning Coordinator Bob Povlich at the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services, (717) 264-2813.

 

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