Now that the city of Emporia and Lyon County are among local entities that have signed off on the Region I Hazard Mitigation Plan, Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell says there are goals to tap that plan for targeted federal funding.
Fell says notices of intent have already been filed for two projects.
Updates happen every five years, and Fell says the current iteration has been under discussion and revision for about a year. The goal: reduce loss of life or property.
Lyon County used Hazard Mitigation funds last year to distribute severe weather radios at the Lyon County Fair at no cost to residents. That allotment disappeared before the fair was done.
There are numerous jurisdictions represented in the nearly 500-page final document.
Areawide, jurisdictions include Chase, Morris and Wabaunsee counties.
This also helps jurisdictions once they are impacted by disasters. Much of the conversation after a disaster deals with gaining public assistance reimbursement funds.
Speaking of disasters, Fell used last year’s fast-moving grass fire from near Neosho Rapids to near Reading — and this week’s massive grass fire activity in western Kansas and Oklahoma — to demonstrate how the Hazard Mitigation Plan could help applicants avoid future issues.
