About
Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, wildfires, and other hazardous events are a part of the world in which we live. Natural disasters occur when buildings, infrastructure, agriculture, and other land uses are impacted by a hazardous event. Communities impacted by natural disasters often require years to recover at great social and economic cost. However, the negative impacts of hazardous events can be mitigated by planning strategically for new infrastructure and using construction techniques to reduce the vulnerability of people and damage to property.
A Hazard Mitigation Plan is a product developed by jurisdictions with the goal of reducing risk to loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. These plans consist of eight sections: Process, Profile, Capabilities, Risk Assessment, Mitigation Strategies, Infrastructure, Plan Maintenance, and the Appendices. Once reviewed and updated, a Hazard Mitigation Plan is valid for 5 years through FEMA. A jurisdiction with a valid mitigation plan can be eligible to apply for and receive any mitigation grants, the most common being through FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM) and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
The counties of Bladen, Columbus and Robeson, in coordination with their participating municipal jurisdictions, are preparing a regional hazard mitigation plan update that will cover the entire region.
Public input is vital to understanding local risks and mitigation opportunities. On this website you can find information about past and upcoming planning meetings, draft documents, and a survey on hazard risks and vulnerabilities, as well as a way to provide comments to the planning team. Check back for updates and new information throughout the planning process.
2024 Update - Project Schedule
Project Kickoff
July 8, 2024
Larger Stakeholder Meeting
October 14, 2024
Public Meeting Number 1
December 11, 2024
HIRA Meeting
TBD - February 2025 - Check back for details!
Mitigation Strategy Meeting
TBD - March 2025 - Check back for details!
Proposed Delivery of Draft Plan
April 6, 2025
Existing Plan Expiration Date
October 6, 2025