Washington County's Local Mitigation Strategy had to be back at FEMA before January 2021. Then COVID-19 cancelled the committee's meetings.
In June 2020 the committee brought in Wheeler EMC to finish the update. We worked through each section with the committee: current hazard data, vulnerability analysis, and the codes and ordinances in force in each jurisdiction.
Because of the pandemic, we added biological disasters as a hazard. The committee approved the final draft in November 2020. The plan covers Washington County, Chipley, Caryville, Ebro, Vernon and Wausau, and its Project Priority List is the list of mitigation projects the jurisdictions put forward for funding.
Hurricane and flood rate high impact across nearly every category in the plan. The hurricane section maps the odds, the storm history and the structures exposed.
Wildfire risk is mapped across the county's timberland, so mitigation dollars can be pointed at the neighborhoods that need them.
Each cycle runs from committee kickoff and data updates through public comment, FEMA review and posting the final plan.