For Immediate Release:

Residents Urged to Complete Online
Hazards-Mitigation Plan Survey

(CATSKILL, New York) –  Greene County residents are urged to complete an online citizen questionnaire at http://www.greenegov.com/hazmit.htm in support of Greene County’s hazard mitigation plan.

Background information about the plan along with the citizen survey is available on the county’s Web site, and residents are being encouraged to complete the online questionnaire that will help the study team better assess the nature, extent and probability of various hazards in Greene County.  The 23-question survey will take about five minutes to complete.

      “The creation of this plan will allow the county and its participating municipalities to be eligible for future mitigation funding from FEMA,” said Warren Hart, Director, Greene County Planning and Economic Development. “We’re very eager to get the public’s input to help us create a detailed plan that will address a variety of potential hazards that could affect some or all of our citizens.”

      Earlier this year, through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Greene County contracted with Tetra Tech EM Inc. of Rockaway, N.J., to work with county staff and municipal representatives to create the All-Hazards Mitigation Plan.

      A steering committee is assisting in the plan development process including representatives of Greene County Legislature, Greene County Planning and Economic Development, Greene County Emergency Services, Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District, Greene County Highway Department, Greene County Planning and Economic Development, Greene County Public Health, Greene County Chamber of Commerce, Greene Land Trust, New York State Department of Transportation, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Catskill Watershed Corporation, and other agencies and citizen representatives. In addition, all 19 Greene County municipalities have signed on as project partners to participate in the plan’s development.  School districts, utilities and other special districts will also be invited to participate.

      The goal of the plan is to identify projects that can reduce damages from future natural hazards. The plan will include a risk assessment and a hazard-mitigation strategy.

      The risk assessment will include four phases: identifying hazards that may impact the county and its municipalities; profiling the relevant hazards and their potential consequences; identifying assets that are subject to losses or damage, including physical structures, functions and populations; and estimating the potential losses that could result from each type of hazard. Following the risk assessment will be the development of a hazard-mitigation strategy, including a prioritized list of actions designed to reduce losses.

For more information visit www.greeneebusiness.com or call (518) 719-3290.

Greene County Department of Planning and Economic Development

Warren Hart, Director, AICP

411 Main Street Catskill NY 12414 Phone: (518) 719-3290 Fax: (518) 719-3789

business@discovergreene.com www.greenebusiness.com