Laserfiche WebLink
Hennepin County Hazard Mitigation Plan Planning Process <br /> 11. Planning Process <br /> A. Mission Statement <br /> To identify measures that will prevent loss of life and damage to <br /> property while reducing future risks in Hennepin County <br /> S. Steering Committee <br /> Hennepin County has developed a countywide local mitigation plan. <br /> The Emergency Preparedness Division (EPD) was responsible for <br /> coordinating and drafting the plan. EPD called together a steering <br /> committee comprised of representatives from each of the five local <br /> planning groups in the county. In addition, state government and <br /> private industry were represented as well as the Metropolitan Airports <br /> Commission (MAC). This group wrote a mission statement and guided <br /> the planning process. Drafts were periodically submitted to the group <br /> for comment and correction. Because of the ease of email <br /> communication and the difficulties of travel during the summer road <br /> construction season, the group met once a month and communicated <br /> electronically more frequently. See Attachment 1 for a list of invited <br /> participants. Some attended meetings and others provided electronic <br /> advice. See Attachment 5 for the proposed project timeline. <br /> C. Public Participation <br /> Five public meetings (one in each planning group) were held in late <br /> May and June 2003, during the drafting stage (see attachment 2). <br /> Public participation was dismal even though a press release was issued <br /> through Public Affairs and the release appeared in the Minneapolis <br /> Star-Tribune, the largest newspaper in the area. The EPD director also <br /> did an extensive radio interview on mitigation at the same time. <br /> However, the emergency management professionals who.attended <br /> had creative conversations about the hazards they face and <br /> brainstormed imaginative solutions. The time was not wasted; the <br /> informal setting allowed many ideas to be brought forth for inclusion in <br /> the plan. Lack of public participation could be because of the lack of a <br /> focusing event. The last Presidential disaster declaration was in 1998, <br /> and the window of opportunity is long past. <br /> Attachment 7 shows the presentation prepared for the public <br /> meetings. <br /> 1 <br /> nATT Plan ;—Pmrpaa A- <br />