Hubbard County adopts 2024 hazard mitigation plan; wildfire risk marked high, DNR annex proposed

Sheriff Troy Hockas (presenting the county emergency management item) asked the board to adopt the county’s 02/2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan, a stakeholder study prepared with the University of Minnesota Duluth. The board adopted the resolution accepting the 02/2024 plan.

Sheriff Hockas said the updated plan re‑examines natural hazards for Hubbard County and aligns broadly with the previous 2017 study. The 2024 update assigned a high wildfire probability for parts of the county and recommended that Hubbard County develop an annex to its Emergency Operations Plan specific to wildfire response planning. The sheriff said he will coordinate with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to determine whether the DNR can perform a county wildfire‑risk study and, if there is a cost, bring any funding requests back to the board.

The sheriff also noted other hazards and existing annexes (pipelines, chemical/industrial risks). He said some local industrial sites have certified hazardous-response teams and exercise regularly; those firms can shut down systems to limit leaks and would escalate to county/state resources if their own teams cannot manage an incident. The sheriff reported that Akeley and Park Rapids have adopted the plan, while La Porte did not participate and was removed from the county list; Nevis had not yet responded and the sheriff said he will follow up with that city.

A motion to adopt the plan passed on a voice vote with no recorded opposition.