County seeking input for hazard mitigation plan

Hazardous situations can happen anytime, anywhere. That’s why next month, Somerset County officials will give residents an opportunity to review and provide input into an update for the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The first public meeting regarding the five-year update to the plan will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at the Somerset County Planning Board meeting. The meeting will start at 4:45 p.m. in the freeholder meeting room, located on the third floor of the county Administration Building at 20 Grove St. in Somerville.

During the meeting, attendees will learn about the purpose, goals and objectives of the Hazard Mitigation Plan. County Planning Division representatives will review the public outreach process, major natural hazards and vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies and projects. They also will discuss next steps, including reviews by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), local adoption, plan maintenance and implementation.

The plan, which was last updated in 2013, makes the county and participating municipalities eligible for future mitigation funding through FEMA. Since its inception, the plan addressed a number of possible natural hazards that could affect a wide range of residents in Somerset County.

The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders organized the Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2008.

“The county Planning Division and Office of Emergency Management collaborated with members of the Mitigation Planning Committee to complete the updated plan as required by FEMA,” Freeholder Brian G. Gallagher, planning liaison, said.

The plan includes a risk assessment and hazard-mitigation strategy. The primary natural hazards in Somerset County are severe storms and flooding, but other potential hazards include drought, extreme temperatures, wildfires and earthquakes. The study focused on existing and future buildings, infrastructure and critical facilities that might be impacted by natural hazards.

Annexes for each of the county’s 21 municipalities will be included in the plan. This will make each municipality eligible to apply for pre-disaster mitigation funding for projects that will reduce hazard vulnerabilities and risks and help communities recover more quickly from disasters.

If residents can’t make it to the Nov. 20 meeting, there will be a second public hearing from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6 at the Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy, located at 402 Roycefield Rd. in Hillsborough.

The document and a link for comments may be found on the county’s website at http://bit.ly/2018SCHMP. Somerset County residents are encouraged to attend a public meeting to learn more about the Hazard Mitigation Plan update.

For more information, contact Walter Lane, director of the county Planning Division, at 908-231-7021 or [email protected]; or Douglas Vornlocker, Office of Emergency Management director, at 908-725-5070 or [email protected].