In late April, New Jersey’s Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved by FEMA, and adopted by Governor Christie. Now that the state has a federally approved Hazard Mitigation Plan, all 21 counties must develop plans of their own, have them approved by the state, and then adopt them. Hazard Mitigation Plans help protect the public from many risks, including both natural and man made hazards. The state has approved Ocean County’s very first hazard mitigation plan.
“There are six goals within the state hazard mitigation plan: Protecting life, protecting property, increasing awareness and preparedness, developing and maintaining an understanding of risks and hazards, enhancing mitigation capabilities to reduce hazard vulnerabilities and supporting continuity of operations. These are recurring themes for past, present and developing county plans. A county plan requires the active participation of its municipalities, and when a plan is approved and adopted, it is posted on the county’s website, usually in an area related to emergency management.
Natural hazards (flooding, coastal erosion, drought, hail, extreme temperatures and even earthquakes) are the focus of New Jersey’s plans. Because of the stark differences in the state’s population density, geography and ecology, the process of risk assessment and identifying natural hazards varies from county to county and community to community. Coastal counties such as Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth have to protect against flooding and storm surge from the Atlantic Ocean. Heavy rains can cause the Delaware River to crest, causing potential problems for Mercer, Hunterdon and Warren counties. Flooding on the Passaic, Raritan and Millstone rivers has caused repeated flooding in Somerset, Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties. The Pine Barrens and other forested areas are vulnerable to fire. Man-made hazards (pandemic, animal diseases, nuclear accidents) are also included in planning.”
The full FEMA press release, quoted above, can be found here.
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