Wilson County adopts regional hazard mitigation plan and approves Emergency Operations Plan

Wilson County officials voted on Aug. 4 to adopt a regional hazard mitigation plan covering Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson counties and to approve the county’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), actions emergency management officials said are required to maintain eligibility for state and federal disaster mitigation funds.

Gordon Dino, Wilson County Emergency Management director, told commissioners that FEMA and the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management require hazard mitigation plans and that the county’s plan is part of a five‑year update cycle. He said the regional plan documents identified risks — including dam or levy failure, drought, excessive heat, flooding, hurricanes and tropical storms, winter storms, sinkholes, tornadoes, thunderstorms and wildfires — and describes mitigation steps the counties and participating municipalities should take to lessen impacts and remain eligible for mitigation grant programs.

Dino also presented the Wilson County EOP, describing it as a living document managed by county emergency management that incorporates county departments and partner agencies and that allows coordinated implementation during emergencies. He said minor updates may be made by participating entities in coordination with county emergency management and that the plan is posted on the county website. The board approved both the hazard mitigation plan and the EOP; Dino said he will forward the signed resolution and EOP to North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA as appropriate.

The adoption keeps the county aligned with federal requirements under the Stafford Act and the Disaster Mitigation Act and preserves access to mitigation funding tied to an approved plan. Dino noted the next scheduled review of the EOP is 2030.