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Cusseta–Chattahoochee County adopts 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan to preserve FEMA funding eligibility
Summary
Commissioners unanimously adopted the Cusseta–Chattahoochee County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024 to keep the county eligible for hazard‑mitigation grant funding from FEMA; the plan identifies hazards, new mitigation strategies and will be updated every five years.
The Board of Commissioners of the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County voted unanimously on Aug. 5, 2025 to adopt the Cusseta–Chattahoochee County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024, a pre‑disaster plan required by FEMA to maintain eligibility for federal mitigation grants.
The plan, prepared with participation from a 21‑member local mitigation committee and reviewed by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and FEMA, identifies nine natural hazards (including severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding, wildfire and tropical cyclones) and four technological or man‑made hazards. County staff said adoption is required for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program reimbursement and to guide future mitigation investments.
County Manager Thomas Weaver told the board the plan lays out mitigation strategies and an inventory of actions completed since the prior plan. The update documents 79 mitigation strategies countywide (70 for natural hazards and nine for technological hazards), and it lists 27 new strategies the committee prioritized, including maintaining NFIP compliance, purchasing portable generators for the water utility, enhancing radio communications and studying locations for outdoor warning sirens.
The plan text in the meeting record cites compliance with federal regulations (44 CFR 201.6) and states the plan will be updated on a five‑year cycle. Commissioners moved to add the plan to the meeting agenda so the county could submit it for GEMA review and FEMA reimbursement; Commissioner Timothy Biddle made the motion to adopt the plan and Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded it. The motion carried with a unanimous vote.
Adoption does not itself obligate funds; rather, it preserves the county’s eligibility to apply for mitigation grants and provides a blueprint staff can use to seek state and federal funding for projects. County officials said the plan is intended to support future grant applications and guide capital‑planning decisions.
The adoption was recorded in the Aug. 5 minutes; the plan’s executive summary and the formal resolution adopting the document are included in the official record. The county will post the plan and proceed with any required submittals to GEMA and FEMA.
