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Henderson County reviews 2026 hazard mitigation update, warns some cities risk losing FEMA reimbursement
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Summary
County emergency management staff said the 510-page 2026 hazard mitigation plan will be submitted to TDEM in April and later to FEMA; staff warned that two cities that failed to supply required data may be ineligible for FEMA reimbursement unless they join or submit their own plans.
Henderson County's emergency management coordinator briefed commissioners on the county's 2026 hazard mitigation plan update on March 17, outlining the submission timetable to the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and explaining implications for municipalities that did not provide required data.
"We are planning to submit around April 1 to TDEM to give us a couple of weeks to kind of clean this up," coordinator Mershane Remberg told the court, describing final clerical fixes and a multistep review that will involve back-and-forth edits with TDEM and then FEMA. Remberg said the full document runs about 510 pages and that most changes are wording or clerical.
Remberg also explained that two cities did not return required information and therefore were not included in the current compilation of the plan. "It doesn't mean the county won't respond," Remberg said, "but when it comes to recovery for the citizens in that area ... they will not be eligible for FEMA reimbursement" unless the cities submit a mitigation plan to TDEM and FEMA or are later incorporated through a formal amendment process.
Commissioners asked about the frequency of updates and the difference between the hazard mitigation plan and the county emergency management response plan; staff said mitigation updates are required at least every five years and that the emergency response plan is a separate document. Staff also confirmed websites and posted documents will need to meet ADA accessibility standards. Remberg said once TDEM approves the submission the county will advance the plan to FEMA for review and, after both approvals, jurisdictions will take local adoption actions.
Next steps noted in the meeting: county staff will finish clerical edits, submit the plan to TDEM by the May deadline, and work with cities that request later inclusion through an amendment process; commissioners acknowledged the timeline and voted to proceed with submission.
