Public Input Sought on County Hazard Mitigation Plan

The Ocean County Office of Emergency Management will be developing a plan to address a variety of potential hazards and is seeking public input at a Tuesday, May 14 meeting.

“It’s very important to get public participation in developing our Multi-Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan,” said Acting Sheriff William Sommeling, who serves as the county’s Emergency Management Coordinator.

The plan will include a risk assessment and a hazard mitigation strategy. It will identify projects that can reduce damages from natural, man-made and technological hazards.

“With Superstorm Sandy fresh in everyone’s mind we want our citizens, elected officials and emergency responders to help develop the plan that is best for Ocean County,” Sommeling said.

Public meetings will be held on Tuesday, May 14 and Monday, May 20 from 3 to 7 p.m. Tomorrow’s meeting will be held at the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management at the Ocean County Airport on Route 530 and Mule Road in Berkeley Township. The meeting on May 20 will be at the Ocean County Southern Service Center at 179 South Main Street in Manahawkin.

As part of the meetings, brief presentations will be held at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. The meetings are designed as open houses and the public can stay as long as they choose to gather information on hazard mitigation and provide input.

Sommeling noted that these public meetings are separate from ongoing informational meetings pertaining to FEMA flood maps and other Sandy-related issues.

“The Ocean County Multi-Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan will be the blueprint for reducing property damage and saving lives from the effects of future natural and human-made disasters,” he said.

Steps taken before, during and after Sandy will be taken into consideration when developing the plan, which will also cover other hazards such as forest fires, winter storms, extreme temperatures and man-made events, he said.

The plan will focus on existing and future buildings, infrastructure (power-generation facilities, water utilities, roadways and communication systems) and critical facilities (shelters and hospitals) as well as people and economic resources.

The creation of this plan, prepared in accordance with state and federal standards, will allow the County and participating municipalities to be eligible for future mitigation funding from the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

For more information contact Robert Butkus, Domestic Preparedness Planner for Ocean County Office of Emergency Management at 732-341-3451 or rbutkus@co.ocean.nj.us. Also contact Sarah Bowen, Consultant Project Manager at 215-430-5517 or sbowen@mbakercorp.com.