Chippewa County has recently completed an updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is now seeking public feedback and comment. Hazard mitigation can be defined as taking action to eliminate or reduce the long-term risk to human life and property from natural and technological hazards. Planning for these disasters can help minimize the impacts of these events on people, structures, infrastructure, and the local economy.
All county residents, as well as other interested stakeholders (those in neighboring counties, tribal nations, or working with affected agencies) are encouraged to review and offer feedback on the draft plan and proposed local mitigation actions. The review and public comment period is open for a period of 15 days through September 30, 2023. The public can access the plan using the following link:
2023-Chip-Co-HM-Plan-for-Public-Review
The Chippewa County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers all of Chippewa County, including the cities of Clara City, Maynard, Milan, Montevideo, and Watson. The Chippewa County HMP also incorporates the concerns and needs of townships, school districts, and other stakeholders participating in the plan.
The Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission was contracted to assist with the update of this plan under direction of Chippewa County Emergency Management along with input from representatives from county departments, city and township governments, school districts, and other key stakeholders. Together, the planning team worked to identify actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life or property from natural and human caused hazards.
Updating the plan further allows Chippewa County and its jurisdictions to be eligible to apply for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program funding for projects that help to reduce or eliminate the impacts of future natural hazard events.
Community feedback is vital to the success of the plan. Chippewa County Emergency Management invites public review and feedback of the draft plan prior to submitting it to Minnesota Homeland Security/Emergency Management (HSEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review. Feedback may be provided by directly contacting:
Stephanie Weick, Chippewa County Emergency Management Director
Phone: (320) 269-2121
Email: Stephanie.Weick@Chippewa.MN