Projects and activities to protect Knox County residents and vital services will be the main topic of discussion at the Knox County All Hazards Mitigation Planning Committee meeting on Thursday, October 13, 2022, at the Galesburg/Knox County Public Safety Building Emergency Operations Center, 150 South Broad Street in Galesburg. The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. and is open to the public.
The committee began work in October 2021 to update the County’s All Hazards Mitigation Plan. This plan details past severe weather events that have previously impacted the county and identifies mitigation projects and activities that can be taken before a severe weather event occurs to protect residents and critical services and infrastructure.
“There has been at least $59.3 million in verified property damages and $3.6 million in crop damages caused by severe weather events in the County. Obtaining FEMA’s approval of our plan update will make all of the participants eligible to receive federal grant money for mitigation projects and activities,” according to Chief Randy Hovind, Galesburg/Knox County EMA Coordinator.
Projects identified by committee members at this meeting will become part of the Knox County All Hazards Mitigation Plan. While portions of the plan have been presented at each meeting, the entire plan will be presented for public review and comment before it is submitted to the state and federal government for approval.
“A public forum will be conducted this winter for interested persons to review the updated plan and ask questions of committee members. A two-week public comment period will be held following the public forum to accommodate interested persons who are unable to attend. We want to make sure that anybody who is interested has an opportunity to review and comment on the plan update,” added Hovind.
***Courtesy of the City of Galesburg***
