Benton County Seeks Public Input on Hazard Mitigation Plan to Address Severe Weather Risks

(KNSI) — Benton County residents, community leaders, business owners, and local organizations now have a chance to share how severe weather events have impacted their lives and property, as well as offer suggestions on reducing future risks.

The Benton County Office of Emergency Management, in collaboration with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth, is updating the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan identifies natural hazards such as tornadoes, floods, ice storms, blizzards, wildfires, and extreme temperatures and outlines strategies to reduce damage from future events. Public input is an important part of this process.

The Benton County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers the entire county, including all cities and townships. It also addresses the needs of school districts, watershed districts, and other agencies or businesses involved in the planning process. A team of representatives from county departments, local municipalities, and other stakeholders will update the plan. Once completed, it will be submitted for approval to the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Hazard mitigation planning is a key part of our emergency management efforts,” said Kristen Tschida, Benton County Emergency Management Director. “By understanding the natural hazards that affect our communities and taking steps to minimize future risks, we can strengthen our resilience. Mitigation helps break the cycle of damage and repair caused by events like flooding, ice storms, and severe winds that can harm property, strain the economy, and threaten lives.”

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
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.

Benton County is seeking input from residents and businesses on 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?

Comments, concerns, and suggestions about natural disasters and potential mitigation projects 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. There will be more opportunities for public input throughout the process. A draft of the plan will be made available for public review before submission to the state. Future announcements will be made to keep the public informed.

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.

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