Projects to prevent injuries and fatalities while maintaining vital services for Madison County residents during severe storms will be the main topic of discussion at an open-to-the-public Madison County All Hazards Mitigation Planning Committee meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 29, at the Madison County Emergency Operations Center, 101 E. Edwardsville Road in Wood River.
This committee began work in October 2019 to update the county’s All Hazards Mitigation Plan. This plan will identify projects and activities to protect Madison County residents and property from storms and other natural disasters. Unlike other emergency plans, this plan is aimed at identifying projects and activities that can be taken before these disasters occur.
“Severe storms frequently damage buildings, crops, roads, and other critical infrastructure in this area,” said Mary Kate Brown, Madison County Emergency Management Agency deputy director. “At least $111 million in verified damages has resulted from just 90 severe weather and natural hazard events. It’s highly likely that additional damages occurred that weren’t documented. Consequently we are seeking to identify preventative steps that can reduce the dollar damages as well as protect public health before severe weather strikes.”
The municipalities of Alhambra, Alton, Bethalto, Collinsville, East Alton, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Godfrey, Granite City, Grantfork, Hamel, Highland, Livingston, Marine, Maryville, Troy, Wood River, and Worden, in addition to the county and the Metro East Sanitary District, Roxana School District, and St. Jacob Township, have participated in the planning process.
Building storm shelters, resolving drainage problems, providing backup power supplies, retrofitting water supplies and other critical facilities to better withstand natural disasters are a few of the more frequently encountered mitigation projects in Illinois. Developing public information materials and conducting drainage studies are examples of other activities that might also be included in the All Hazards Mitigation Plan.
“A public forum will be conducted later this spring for interested persons to review the plan update and ask questions of committee members,” Brown added. “A public comment period will be established to accommodate interested persons who are unable to attend the forum. We want to make sure that anybody who is interested has an opportunity to review and comment on the draft plan update.”
Interested persons can submit questions and comments to the committee members or directly to the Madison County Emergency Management Agency.
