Leaders update plan for Hazard Mitigation
A group of eighteen community leaders met with Deb Kanterud, facilitator, South Central Dakota Regional Council, Jamestown, to update Pierce County’s Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. The first meeting took place at the Memorial Hall in Rugby on May 1.
The new Pierce County Emergency Manager, Kelsey Siegler co-facilitated the meeting along with Kanterud.
Dave Cichos, mayor of Rugby, all of the Pierce County Commissioners including Rick Larson who is the city of Rugby Public Works Director as well as serving on the commission, Greg Hagen, executive director, Souris Basin Planning Council, Minot, representatives from the county’s ambulance service, city police, fire departments from Rugby and Wolford, director of JDA, Heart of America Medical Center, Rugby School District, media, and county auditor, were among the agencies present to begin reviewing the plan.
The input from representatives from all entities is very important to design a comprehensive plan for the county. With this plan all entities will be made aware of what each group’s responsibilities are in a hazard situation. Everything will be coordinated by the Pierce County Emergency Manager in the event of a disaster in the county.
The plan is a tool that will be used to request FEMA funds, grants, etc. (in the event of a disaster), according to Kanterud.
Some facilities such as the schools, the hospital, emergency services, etc. have their own plans and these will be coordinated with the overall plan to reach the best possible outcome in a disaster situation.
The two-hour meeting went by swiftly as the facilitator defined the project and led the discussion on what constitutes a hazard in Pierce County.
The ongoing meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of every month from 7-9 p.m. Kanterud will notify representatives of the location of the meetings. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 5 beginning at 7 p.m.
The last Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan for Pierce County was updated in 2003. After this update is completed and submitted to the state, the plan will continue to be updated every five years by state mandate.