DuPage County rewrites mitigation plan as 'all‑hazards' to preserve FEMA funding and broaden preparedness

DuPage County emergency‑management and stormwater staff told the Strategic Planning Committee on June 10 that the county used a FEMA grant to rewrite its 2007 natural hazards mitigation plan into an all‑hazards mitigation plan and has been promoting the update to help secure FEMA funding for local disaster assistance.

Sarah, stormwater and emergency preparedness staff, said the natural hazards mitigation plan is the guidepost communities must have in place for local eligibility for FEMA assistance. She told the committee that without an approved plan at the county level and adoption by local municipalities, FEMA funding for communities and residents would not be available after disasters. Sarah said the county’s plan, originally adopted in 2007 and historically focused on flooding, was broadened to include other hazards such as hazardous materials transported by rail.

Staff presented the updated plan at a statewide conference for stormwater and floodplain managers and described an extensive outreach effort: stormwater staff participate in community events nearly every week to discuss preparedness, water quality and home‑level mitigation steps. Sarah said the county partnered with neighboring Kane County to share approaches and to help other counties update plans.

Staff also summarized related preparedness work: the county is reviewing its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) to align with state requirements, and staff are overhauling the county’s readydupagecounty.gov site to improve accessibility and public access to emergency information. Craig, emergency‑management staff, could not attend but provided updates to staff to report at the meeting.

Committee members praised outreach and recalled mutual aid during prior tornadoes; staff emphasized continued community education and local plan adoption to preserve future FEMA funding.