Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency is leading an effort to update the county’s hazard mitigation plan and is looking for public input in the process.
The plan aims to identify the components of the community that would be most severely affected should a natural disaster strike the area.
John Wheeler, emergency management coordinator, said that CRESA plans typically look at how we prepare for and respond to a disaster.
A hazardous mitigation plan, he said, “is unique in that it focuses on what do we do before a disaster to reduce the impact of a disaster.”
Common examples of things that could be addressed, Wheeler said, are structures built too close to or in a flood hazard zone, or houses not bolted to their foundation.
The steering committee is intended to provide a diverse perspective on the planning process and includes members such as real estate agents, engineers, homebuilders association members and government officials. Their job is to identify strategies for 18 different government agencies to reduce risks in their jurisdictions.
“We’re not just dealing with privately owned infrastructure … we’re looking at roads, bridges, buildings,” Wheeler said.
With a plan in place, Wheeler added, local government agencies are eligible to receive grant funding. The current plan, however, was developed in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 but hasn’t been updated since 2004, Wheeler said.
“You need to change the plan every so often because the community changes,” Wheeler said. “This will be a major update, a pretty significant overhaul.”
The population has grown, community priorities may have changed and emergency preparedness officials have more information on some hazards, including the Cascadia Subduction Zone, Wheeler said.
Natural hazards in Clark County, as outlined by the state’s hazard mitigation plan, include earthquakes, floods, landslides, wildfires, severe weather, volcanic eruptions, drought and dam failure.
The steering committee meets the third Wednesday of every month from 10 a.m. to noon at the Clark Regional Wastewater District, 8000 N.E. 52nd Ct.
Wheeler said he hopes to hear from community members who can provide insight through other information or their experience.
The ultimate idea behind the committee and its goals, Wheeler said, come down to the old adage of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
“It makes more sense for us to prevent the impacts of a disaster than it does to have a disaster occur and pick up the mess afterward,” he said. “Those results can involve injuries or worse. … We want to do whatever we can now to retrofit, to look at how we develop, how we grow and do it in a way that we have a safer community, a more resilient community.”
For more information on the plan or to view meeting agendas, visit http://cresa911.org/hazmitplanproject. Other questions or opinions on the project can be directed to Wheeler at 360-99-6271 or john.wheeler@clark.wa.gov.
Emily Gillespie: 360-735-4522; twitter.com/col_cops; emily.gillespie@columbian.com
