Thurston Regional Planning Council seeks public comments on the Hazards Mitigation Plan 4th edition update by November 17

The Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) is seeking public input for the Hazards Mitigation Plan update to make communities more disaster-resilient.

In a press release by the TRPC, the local governments in Thurston County have been collaborating to update the fourth edition of the Hazards Mitigation Plan. It outlines a multijurisdictional strategy to reduce the risks of the most destructive natural hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, and wildfires, that threaten communities in the region.

The regional mitigation strategy includes 12 actions to improve multi-agency coordination, build mitigation capabilities, and strengthen resiliency across Thurston County.

The Hazards Mitigation Plan's actions include:

• Developing plans for an extreme heat incident response and illness prevention
• Developing community wildfire protection
• Identifying evacuation routes for potential catastrophic dam failure and volcanic lahar
• Relocating and elevating structures in flood hazard areas
• Performing seismic upgrades to water storage reservoirs
• Adding backup power system to critical facilities
• Performing more public education about the effects of hazards to help people identify steps they can take to protect their property.

"The plan is a long-term strategy for communities to identify vulnerabilities and reduce risks from natural hazards," Paul Brewster, TRPC senior planner, said.

Brewster added that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires states, tribes, and local governments to adopt plans to be eligible to obtain hazard mitigation grants that can fund projects like seismic retrofits to water systems.

"The vision for the plan is that all sectors of the community work together to create a disaster-resilient region – so it is important that community members lend their voices to our region's mitigation strategy," said Ed Taylor of Lacey, chair of the Emergency Management Council of Thurston County.

Community members who are interested in sharing their inputs have three ways to comment:

• Submit comments using the survey form
• Email comments to brewstp@trpc.org
• Mail comments to Paul Brewster at Thurston Regional Planning Council, 2411 Chandler Court SW, Olympia, WA 98502

Comments are due by Friday, Friday, November 17, at 5 pm.

For more information, contact Paul Brewster, TRPC senior planner, at brewstp@trpc.org  or (360) 741-2526.