Putnam EMA To Hold Public Meeting For Hazard Mitigation Plan Updates

Putnam County Emergency Management Agency will hold a public meeting regarding their Hazard Mitigation Plan updates on Tuesday morning.

Deputy Director Sharon  Womack said that the plans were established to minimize loss of life or loss of property during emergency events. Womack said that if a hazard is covered in the mitigation plan, it also could provide grant opportunities.

“That hazard is in the plan and they’re proving that this jurisdiction suffers from that problem,” Womack said. “The possibility of that problem. And the possibility of the grant is there and is covered.”

Womack said that hazard mitigation plans are required by the government to be updated every five years. She said that the only updates to this plan will be a new layout and that the plan will cover natural hazards only. Womack said the last plan also contained some man-made technological hazards.

“Which is not really required by the federal government,” Womack said. “This time it is natural hazards only. We covered the same ones and a lot of the information is the same, it’s just a new format and includes some additional information that they asked for.”

Womack said that they try to cover as many potential hazards the county faces as possible, to ensure all conditions are met for both grants or emergency declarations.

“When we have events like we did last year,” Womack said. “When we had the devastating tornadoes on March 3rd. For a Presidential Declaration of Disaster, one of the first questions the feds ask when they come to you and start talking to you about the declaration is, ‘Do you have a plan? And is this covered in your plan?’ And the answer needs to be ‘yes.’ And it was.”

Womack said they also included the March 2020 tornado as well as flood events as part of the county’s history. She said they’re now in the plan including details about the death toll, injuries, and specifics with issues that the county faced in those events. Womack said that the updated plan will go first to Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and then to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for review.

Womack said the public is invited to take part in their meeting at 10 a.m. to provide any further comment, ask questions, or make suggestions for the plan.