The Lower Loup NRD’s Hazard Mitigatigation Plan update got underway with a virtual kickoff meeting on March 9. Hazard mitigation planning reduces loss of life and property by minimizing the impact of disasters. The Lower Loup NRD-sponsored plan, developed in 2017, will expire in 2022, so work has kicked off on an update.
The eligible participants include counties, cities, villages, school districts, fire districts, tribes, etc. The project is funded by a FEMA planning grant. The cost is shared 75% through federal funding and 25% through a local match. For this plan update, the LLNRD is providing the 25% local match.
The project timeline has the next round of meetings set for June. Those meetings may be face to face or virtual, depending on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential hazards in the Lower Loup NRD can include dam failures, drought, flooding, severe thunderstorms, terrorism, severe winter storms, and tornadoes.
Approximately 56 entities, counties, cities, irrigation districts, health departments, and others took part in the 2017 plan.
