Vernon County Updating Hazards Mitigation Plan

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(TNS) – The frequency of and damages caused by severe storms and other natural and man-made hazards in Vermilion County will be discussed at a meeting this month.

The Vermilion County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee will meet at 6 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the county administration building, second floor, 201 N. Vermilion St., Danville.

The committee, comprised of county, municipal, educational and health care representatives, as well as technical partners and other stakeholders, will meet during the next several months to update the Vermilion County All Hazards Mitigation Plan. All committee meetings are open to the public.

“The goal of this committee meeting is to identify how often severe weather events occur within the county and what kinds of damages have resulted. Based on this information, we will begin to compile lists of activities and projects to reduce damages caused by these events,” said Vermilion County Emergency Management Agency Director Russell Rudd.

The focus of this effort is on the natural hazards — severe thunderstorms with damaging winds or hail, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, floods, drought and excessive heat.

Interested persons can provide input at these meetings or submit their comments and questions to their appropriate representatives.

Participants to date include: the county, Alvin , Danville, Fairmount, Muncie, Oakwood, Sidell, Tilton, Danville Area Community College, NAACP of Vermilion County, OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center, United Way and Vermilion Advantage. Jurisdictions who have yet to participate in a committee meeting are encouraged to attend.

“This plan will be our best resource for determining how to prepare for storms and other natural and man-made hazards. After the plan is updated, comprehensive information will be available in one document to help guide those who are making decisions about how to better protect Vermilion County residents,” Rudd said.

Vermilion County received a $56,262 Hazard Mitigation Grant from the state.

American Environmental Corp. of Springfield is completing the Hazard Mitigation Plan update for the county. The update is required to allow all participating units of government in Vermilion County to apply for and receive Emergency Management Agency grants from the state.

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