Benton County Seeks Community Input for Updated Hazard Mitigation Plan to Combat Severe Weather Risks

(KNSI) – St. Cloud residents living in Benton County are being asked to take a survey to help officials develop updated plans for dealing with Mother Nature’s wrath and other events.

The county is looking for community leaders and business owners to share how severe weather has impacted them and offer ways to reduce future risks. The plan identifies natural hazards such as tornadoes, floods, ice storms, blizzards, wildfires, and extreme temperatures.

The hazard mitigation plan is a multi-jurisdictional playbook covering all cities and townships in the county. It also addresses the needs of school districts, watershed districts, and other agencies or businesses. Once it’s finished, it will be submitted for approval to the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Benton County is asking the following questions:

What natural hazards do you believe pose the greatest threat to your community?

Are there specific populations or assets in your community that are particularly vulnerable to future storms?

What concerns do you have, and what actions do you believe would reduce future hazard damage in your community or the county?

Examples of hazard mitigation strategies include educating the public on severe weather preparedness, improving stormwater management to handle heavy rains, relocating buildings from flood-prone areas, expanding defensible space around homes in wildfire-prone zones, building tornado-safe rooms in vulnerable areas like mobile home parks, and burying power lines at risk of damage from snow, ice, or windstorms.

These mitigation efforts may qualify for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding.

The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires counties to update their hazard mitigation plans every five years to remain eligible for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs.

Comments, concerns, and suggestions can be submitted to Benton County Emergency Management via phone at 320-968-7201, email ktschida@co.benton.mn.us or through comments on social media posts related to this article.

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