Two down, one to go. That’s the thinking in Douglas County, Georgia, as it finalized both its Continuity of Operations (COOP) plan and Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) last month, and has now begun the process of updating its equally important Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). And, all with the help of Tennessee-based BOLDplanning, of course!
To get the ball rolling, company representatives, Brittney Whatley, CBCP, and Emily Long, PCP (Level 1), led the HMP Community Kick-off Meeting on Tuesday, August 13, 2019. It was held at the Douglas County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the County seat of Douglasville. In attendance were various Douglas County stakeholders as well as Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) hazard mitigation specialists.
Douglas County, as evidenced by past events, is susceptible to many types of natural hazards. These include, but are certainly not limited to severe weather, inland flooding, tornadoes and wildfire. The updated, all-hazards HMP will contain strategies to lessen the impact, or in some instances, eliminate the damages associated with such potential hazards altogether. It will also ensure Douglas County’s continued eligibility to receive certain types of non-emergency disaster assistance, including funding for mitigation projects, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA requires all HMPs be updated every five years.
