Final Planning and Public Meeting for 2023 Hancock County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan

Carthage, Il. The final planning and public meetings for the update of the Hancock County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan will be held July 26, 2023, from 4-6PM at the Board in theHancock County Courthouse. The Courthouse is located at 500 Main Street, in Carthage. This meetingwill summarize the planning process, outline the mitigation strategy, address the changes from the last FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation Plan for Hancock County, and invite public comments. The participating jurisdictions in this plan are Hancock County, Basco, Carthage, Dallas City, Ferris, Hamilton, LaHarpe, Nauvoo, Pontoosuc, Warsaw, and West Point.
The planning process, funded by FEMA through the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), requires that plans be updated every five years. Each jurisdiction is encouraged to think strategically about what they can do to reduce the risks to life and property from natural hazards. The County ESDA Coordinator, Jack Curfman, worked with University of Illinois Extension and the Illinois State Water Survey to facilitate the plan development and complete the risk Assessment.
Of special interest in this plan update is the new focus FEMA is placing on nature-based mitigation solutions as well as the impact of climate change on natural disasters and communities impacted. Types of nature-based solutions include rain gardens, such as the demonstration rain garden that was recently completed in Nauvoo as part of a Rainscaping Training by Illinois Extension and funded by the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN).
The public is invited to attend this meeting and also review the draft plan, which will be available on the Hancock County website as well as the university of Illinois Extension Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike and Schuyler County website (https://extension.illinois.edu/abhps ) by July 24, 2023.
For more information regarding the Hancock County Hazard Mitigation Planning Process, contact Jack Curfman at esda@hancockcounty-il.gov or Carrie McKillip at mckillip@illinois.edu. For information regarding Illinois Extension Programs, contact the Hancock County Extension Office at (217)357-2150 or uie-abhps@illinois.edu .