Stephanie Croston

    Seward County is in the beginning stages of a multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan, which will make the county eligible for state and federal funding in the event of an emergency.
     Once the plan is completed, it must be approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Communities included in a multi-jurisdictional plan must also approve it.
     "If a community is not at the meeting, it can't get help," Lalit Jha of JEO Consulting Group in Lincoln said.
     The Nebraska Public Power District is required to develop its own plan, he said. Schools, private colleges and rural water districts may participate in a county-wide plan. Some natural resources districts, like Lower Platte South, are developing their own plans, while others, like Upper Big Blue, are joining with the counties within their jurisdictions.
     Pre-disaster funding from FEMA and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) may be used for flood mitigation assistance, pre-disaster mitigation programs, flood claims programs and severe loss mitigation programs.
     Post-disaster funds would be available through the hazard mitigation grant program, which awards a percentage of damages.
     Since 1990, Nebraska has seen 23 disasters, and only six counties have not been declared disaster areas, Jha said. The state has received $51.6 million in emergency allocations, and he anticipates $30 to $35 million to be allocated for 2007-08.
     To be eligible for FEMA and NEMA funds, an entity must have a hazard mitigation plan in place or under development.
     "Even though you don't have a plan approved, you can apply," Jha said.
     Examples of eligible projects include bridge upgrades, property acquisitions, flood control, tornado shelters and underground power lines.
     Jonathan Mohr of JEO said the plan will include community profiles, specific hazards, goals and objectives of the stakeholders and mitigation alternatives.
     The profile will include the community's location, geography, climate, history and structural inventory. It will help provide a context for understanding mitigation alternatives, Mohr said.
     Specific hazards include the magnitude and severity of the hazard, probability of future events and history of hazardous events like tornados, blizzards and other disasters. Mohr said this information would help determine where a community is vulnerable and estimate the potential loss to its infrastructure.
     The plan will be updated every five years.
     The next hazard mitigation planning meeting will be held sometime in the spring or summer, Mohr said. At that time, the goals and objectives will be finalized, mitigation alternatives prioritized and projects identified.
     He estimated that Seward County's plan would be completed and approved by FEMA within two years.
     Petersen said the forms should be returned to his office within two weeks, but those that come in later will be forwarded. They are designed to gather information about the area, and anyone could fill one out. Contact Petersen at 643-4722 for more information.