Cocke County adopts updated natural hazard mitigation plan; officials outline generator, siren and communications priorities

Cocke County commissioners voted to adopt an updated county natural hazard mitigation plan after a presentation by emergency-management staff summarizing the plan's purpose, federal review and priority projects.

"If we don't have a hazard mitigation plan ... there would be no federal assistance," a county emergency-management official told commissioners, explaining that an approved plan is required to qualify for certain federal mitigation funding. The official said the county's first plan dated from 02/2019 and that the plan is reviewed and revised roughly every five years.

The presentation identified several priority projects the county hopes to pursue for mitigation funding, including: installation of backup generators (noting the emergency operations center currently lacks a generator), improving backup power for volunteer fire departments and the Newport Rescue Squad, a countywide audible early-warning system using six strategically placed speakers with different tones for different hazards, and addressing cellular coverage gaps in Centerview and Del Rio to improve emergency communications.

The emergency-management official said Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and FEMA have approved the updated plan. The commission adopted the resolution by roll call vote and the plan will be filed with the county clerk and the emergency-operations center, where a copy will be available for public review.

Ending: Commissioners directed staff to pursue grant funding and to carry projects forward into the county's five-year implementation schedule; the plan will be re-evaluated on the next five-year cycle.