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Emergency manager briefs board on Hazard Mitigation grant, wildfire planning and school safety exercise
Summary
Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Bowers told the Oscoda County Board on Jan. 28 about an $87,000 Hazard Mitigation Plan grant application (75% federal/25% local, in-kind match possible), a Community Wildfire Protection Plan effort with an application due in late February, recent volunteer search-and-rescue training, and a new school-shooter tabletop exercise.
Mike Bowers, the county’s Emergency Management Coordinator, updated the board on several preparedness efforts during the public comment portion of the Jan. 28 meeting.
Bowers said the county submitted an application for an $87,000 Hazard Mitigation Plan grant that is structured as a 75% federal share with a 25% local match; he said Oscoda County can contribute in-kind services and that he expects, if approved, work to begin in summer or early fall 2025. He stated the $87,000 was from leftover funds tied to tornados in 2022 and that the grant is specific to Oscoda County.
He also described work on a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP): Oscoda County’s previous USDA applications were rejected twice and the county is preparing a re-submission due at the end of February 2025. Through recent training the county has access to Forest Service mapping and has produced township-level risk gradings.
Bowers said six volunteers completed recent search-and-rescue and survival training in Lapeer, Mich., and that he has developed a tabletop school-shooter exercise with plans to visit both county schools to provide education and coordination with Sheriff’s Office staff.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the Hazard Mitigation Plan amount and whether the funds were specific to Oscoda County; Bowers and Commissioner Bondar confirmed it was county-specific. Bowers said he is meeting with the Red Cross about shelter capability and that NEMCOG assisted with grant writing.
