Cusseta-Chattahoochee Commission adopts 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan to keep FEMA funding eligibility

Chairman Charles Coffey announced the adoption of the Cusseta-Chattahoochee County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024 after the Commission amended the meeting agenda to include the item and voted unanimously to approve it.

County Manager Thomas Weaver said the plan update followed FEMA requirements and was intended to be a working document the county will update every five years. The plan identifies nine natural hazards and four technological/manmade hazards and lists mitigation strategies the county and partner agencies may pursue to reduce future damages and losses.

The resolution included a summary that the plan was prepared in accordance with FEMA requirements (44 CFR 201.6) and noted prior mitigation accomplishments and proposed actions such as maintaining NFIP compliance, installing outdoor warning sirens, acquiring portable generators for critical utilities, locating tornado shelters near mobile home parks, and pursuing digital flood insurance rate maps.

The Commission first voted to amend the agenda so the county could secure GEMA approval and seek reimbursement; Commissioner Timothy Biddle made the motion, Commissioner Jason Frost seconded, and the amendment passed unanimously. Commissioner Biddle then moved to approve the plan; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded and the vote was unanimous.

The plan update states that it was prepared by a Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Committee and that adopting the plan preserves eligibility for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds. The resolution recorded in the minutes states the county intends the plan to be a working document for long-range mitigation planning and budgeting.

Next steps noted in the meeting record include maintaining collaboration with GEMA and FEMA and using the plan as support for mitigation grant applications and local mitigation project prioritization.