Thursday, May 3, 2012

A Message from the Kings County Office of Emergency Management: Your Input is Needed

A Message from the Kings County Office of Emergency Management:

Your Input is Needed! 

Kings County is in the process of updating its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan will assess the likelihood of various natural hazards such as flooding, fires, earthquakes, severe weather and more. A critical component of the planning process is YOU.

We are seeking the participation of people living in the community to help us assess the likelihood of natural hazards and to identify measures to minimize impacts.

Nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually helping communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals recover from disaster. Some natural disasters are predictable, and in many cases much of the damage can be reduced or even eliminated. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has targeted natural disaster loss reduction as one of its primary goals. The federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires local governments to maintain a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan in order to maintain eligibility for certain federal disaster assistance and hazard mitigation funding programs.

Each participating jurisdiction in Kings County will have its own section within the overall Kings County Plan. Your comments and ideas are invited to attend one of the upcoming public meetings on:

Monday, May 14, 2012
Hanford City training Room
317 N. Douty Street
Hanford, Ca. 93230
6 p.m.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Cocoroan Council Chambers
832 Whitley Avenue
Corcoran, Ca. 93212
6 p.m.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Avenal Veteran's Hall
108 W. Kings Street
Avenal, Ca. 93204
6 p.m.

The overall purpose of these meetings is to inform the public on the purpose and planning process for the local hazard mitigation plan development, present the types of hazards in or possibly affecting Kings County, and seek input from the public on priorities for risk reduction.

If you are unable to attend one of the above meetings, we have also developed a public survey that is located on the www.countyofkings.com website to gain your important input into this planning process.

If you have any questions or would like to leave a comment please email us at kingscounty.oem@countyofkings.com or call the Office of Emergency Management at (559) 852-2881.