LOWER LOUP NRD HOSTS HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN MEETINGS

The Lower Loup Natural Resources District is assisting counties, communities and school districts with developing a plan to minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters (floods, tornadoes, severe winter or summer storms, drought, etc.). This effort to plan for disasters before they occur will make entities participating in the effort eligible for federal funds to implement disaster mitigation projects identified in the plan. The Lower Loup NRD was awarded a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to develop the multi-jurisdictional All-Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Public input from officials and people living in the area is a key component of the hazard mitigation planning process. Regional meetings were held in February to obtain input on the hazard mitigation plan in the initial stages. Potential hazards affecting the area and individual communities were identified, critical facilities located, and potential mitigation actions or projects were listed. Among the many projects being considered to protect people and property are flood and drainage system improvements, purchasing backup generators for critical facilities, evaluating/replacing alert sirens, purchasing weather radios, constructing public tornado shelters/safe rooms, tree inventory and maintenance programs to reduce electrical outages.

Lower Loup NRD Engineer Robert Mohler said that this is a cooperative effort to get a plan for the ten county area which will have separate sections for each jurisdiction actively participating in the meetings and providing the required information. Lower Loup NRD has hired Kirkham Michael Engineering of Lincoln, Nebraska, to assist in the development of the plan.

The Lower Loup NRD plan area includes all of Loup, Garfield, Wheeler, Valley, Greeley, Boone, Sherman, Howard and Nance Counties including the communities therein; Custer County and the communities therein, except Oconto which is part of the adjacent Central Platte NRD plan area; Platte County and the communities of Columbus and Monroe; and the individual communities of Pleasanton, Ravenna and Palmer.

A second round of meetings were held in August in Ord, Broken Bow, and Genoa to obtain additional input about the draft plan and to further evaluate and prioritize hazard mitigation actions/projects. For more information about this Hazard Mitigation Planning effort, please contact either Robert Mohler at (308) 728-3221 or Rick Zubrod at Kirkham Michael (402) 477-4240.

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This page last modified on 9/18/09.