EMC reports FEMA/PEMA hazard-mitigation planning; proposes exercises for flood and fire response

Denny Buttorff, the township Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC), told the board he attended a joint FEMA and PEMA hazard mitigation planning meeting and relayed several key takeaways. He said the operational plan from Little Pine Dam "was supposed to be sent out months ago and was sent to Lycoming County but they need to determine who the plans get sent to," and that meeting representatives discussed "increasing the flash flood threshold." Buttorff recommended running exercises with emergency responders and township officials on flooding and forest fires to strengthen local hazard mitigation capabilities.

Board members recorded the update for follow-up; no formal budget action or timeline for exercises was adopted during the meeting. The exchange places the Little Pine Dam plan and flood-threshold discussion on the township's near-term hazard-mitigation agenda and signals staff-level coordination with county and state agencies will be necessary before training or operational changes occur.