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Health & Fitness

Weekend storms showcase need for Hazard Mitigation Plan

This past weekend, we witnessed the kind of damage a weather event can cause. The loss of life and property our fellow Illinois residents experienced was a stark reminder of the need for good planning and preparation. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were impacted. While Cook County escaped serious damage, we are not always so fortunate.

Cook County has been impacted by snowstorms, tornadoes and other natural incidents. In April, the county experienced widespread damage and large scale flooding from heavy rains. While we cannot control the weather, we can control how we prepare, respond to and recover from natural disasters.

The Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP)  that the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) is developing is a comprehensive plan to prepare for natural disasters and their impact to the county.

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We have formed a coalition to pool resources and create a uniform strategy, which will make the county eligible to receive funds through the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The goal is to reduce the county’s vulnerability to natural hazards -- such as floods, snowstorms and tornadoes -- while protecting the health, safety, welfare and economy of communities. We can achieve this by identifying cost-effective strategies to reduce the impact of natural hazards.

Currently, 116 of the county’s 134 municipalities have partnered with DHSEM. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cook County will have more involvement than any other Hazard Mitigation Plan team in the United States.

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This process is overseen by a steering committee made up of elected officials, first responders, public and private utilities and aid organizations from participating municipalities in Cook County. The steering committee meets monthly throughout the planning process and all meetings are open to the public.

We want residents to be part of this process as well. DHSEM is hosting a series of public meetings in December to share the progress with residents. We also want to solicit information and comments from you to ensure all voices are heard and considered. During this process, we urge you to contribute by sharing information about an area’s vulnerability to hazards based on your experience. The meetings will be held:

Monday, December 9 - 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.:

Homewood Village Hall | 2020 Chestnut Road | Homewood, IL 60430

 Wednesday, December 11 - 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.:  

Northbrook Village Hall | 1225 Cedar Lane | Northbrook, IL 60062

Thursday, December 12 - 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.:  

Village of Westchester | 10300 W Roosevelt Road | Westchester, IL 60154

We’ve also created a public survey to get information from you about natural hazards in Cook County at www.surveymonkey.com/s/CookCountyHazMit. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and will provide vital information to the team preparing the plan.

DHSEM has created a “Hazard Mitigation Plan” section on its website to give you the most up-to-date information about the plan, steering committee meeting times, locations, and other pertinent information. Please visit www.cookcountyhomelandsecurity.org/hazard-mitigation-plan/.

If you have questions or want to provide comments, please visit www.cookcountyhomelandsecurity.org/public-comments.

The more information we obtain, the more valuable and useful this plan will be. We look forward to your input.

 Michael Masters is the executive director of the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM). Under the leadership of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, DHSEM integrates first responders, their departments and resources from 134 Cook County municipalities, and serves as the central agency in Cook County for coordinating efforts to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from all incidents, whether man-made or natural. For more information, visit our website atwww.cookcountyhomelandsecurity.org.

 

 

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