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Dear Mercer County Residents,

Natural hazards have the potential to cause property loss, loss of life, economic hardship, and threats to public health and safety. While an important aspect of emergency management deals with disaster recovery (i.e., those actions that a community must take to repair damages and make itself whole in the wake of a natural disaster), an equally important aspect of emergency management involves hazard mitigation.

Hazard mitigation actions are efforts taken before a disaster happens to lessen the impact that future disasters of that type will have on people and property in the community. They are things you do today to be more protected in the future. A hazard mitigation plan is a well-organized and well-documented evaluation of the hazards that a jurisdiction is susceptible to, and the extent to which these events will occur. Hazard mitigation plans identify an area’s vulnerability to the effects of the hazards, as well as the goals, objectives, and actions required for minimizing future loss of life, injury, property damage, and economic disruption as a result of hazard events.

Mercer County is undergoing a process to update the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). The HMP is updated every five years, with the goal to save lives and property through the reduction of hazard vulnerability. During this planning project, county, municipal, and regional leaders will work in tandem to identify risks, assess capabilities, and formulate a strategy to reduce disaster vulnerability in our community.

Public participation and feedback is a vital part of the hazard mitigation planning process. Mercer County has developed this survey to assist in providing residents an outlet to contribute to the plan update. This survey is anonymous and will be used to develop portions of the plan.

You will be asked if you live in a floodplain. If you do not know, or are not sure, please check the FEMA website: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search 

We thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation.

T