Sherburne County Seeks Public Input on Hazard Mitigation Plan

Sherburne County is asking residents and local organizations to review its updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), which aims to reduce risks from natural hazards, and is provide public feedback on it by Nov. 15.

The updated, multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan covers the county’s cities and townships, as well as participating school districts, agencies, organizations and businesses. The county says the plan is intended to help reduce long-term risks to people and property from various hazards.

“Like all Minnesota counties, Sherburne County is vulnerable to a variety of natural hazards such as tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought, and extreme temperatures, which can threaten the loss of life and property in the county,” the release said.

The public can access the plan using the following links: Sherburne County HMP Website Homepage (feedback form at the bottom of page: https://sherburne-county-hmp-umn.hub.arcgis.com/) and Sherburne County Mitigation Action Charts (feedback form at the bottom of page:https://sherburne-county-hmp-umn.hub.arcgis.com/pages/goals-implementation).

Proposed measures described in the draft include infrastructure projects in areas with repeated flooding, safe rooms in places vulnerable to tornadoes and severe storms, burying power lines, improving emergency warnings and public outreach on severe weather and preparedness.

Sherburne County Emergency Management led the update with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from county departments, city and township governments and other participating stakeholders.

The county plans to submit the draft to Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review. An updated plan would also allow the county and its jurisdictions to apply for future FEMA hazard-mitigation grants, the release said.

Comments, concerns or questions regarding the draft plan or ideas for mitigation projects should be submitted either via the Hazard Mitigation Plan website online public feedback form or by contacting Sherburne County Emergency Management.