MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Bi-State Regional Commission will begin hosting planning group meetings starting October 28 to begin the process of updating the 2015 Muscatine County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. The initial meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 28, at the Muscatine County Environmental Learning Center, 3300 Cedar Street, Muscatine, Iowa.
Representatives of various organizations have been invited to participate in the planning process. However, anyone who has an interest and would like to participate in the discussions are welcome to attend.
“The planning requires a broad range of input and expertise from individuals and organizations with interest in hazard mitigation within Muscatine County and neighboring organizations,” Sarah Gardner, senior planner with Bi-State, said.
The plan will meet the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, also known as DMA 2000. The Act, which was signed into law on October 30, 2000, streamlines delivery and utilization of disaster recovery assistance and places increased emphasis on local mitigation planning. It requires local governments to develop and submit mitigation plans as a condition of receiving project grants under four FEMA programs: Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA), Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL). Plans must be updated every 5 years in order to remain eligible.
Those participating are asked to review materials as the planning document develops. Participants are invited to attend planning group meetings as scheduled. Following the planning committee meeting, a subsequent meeting will be scheduled in January 2020 to review a draft of the updated plan.
Questions regarding the ongoing planning process may be directed to Sarah Gardner at Bi-State Regional Commission (309) 793-6300 x 1148 or sgardner@bistateonline.org.
Muscatine County was awarded a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to develop a multi-jurisdiction local hazard mitigation plan in September 2012. The County contracted with Bi-State Regional Commission to guide the preparation of a local hazard mitigation plan that meets the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000.
The 2015 Hazard Mitigation Plan is available for download and review under the Emergency Management tab on the Muscatine County web site or by clicking HERE.