Everyone’s invited to take a look at Berrien County’s Five Year Hazard Mitigation Plan. It outlines possible disasters that occur in the county and establishes how officials would respond. Berrien County Emergency Management Coordinator Rockey Adams tells us the 702 page document focuses on specific communities.
“Many of the hazards in there are flooding-related,” Adams said. “We tend to have a lot of areas where roads might be impacted, as an example, with flooding. Some solutions that communities may bring forward are things like bigger culvert sizes to be able to drain a little bit better. Some other communities have identified projects that will help with tornadoes, shoreline, flood-related erosion issues.”
Adams says most of the hazards included in the plan are natural, but potential hazards also include highways, power plants, and rail lines due to how natural disasters could affect them. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved the plan on Thursday while municipalities throughout the county are also being asked to approve it. Having it helps the county apply for federal funding to prevent potential disasters. You can see the draft plan online. The final version will be ready in the spring.
