06/05/2023
HOUSTON COUNTY NEWS RELEASE
June 5, 2023
Public Input Wanted as County
Updates Hazard Mitigation Plan
Houston County residents, community leaders, business owners, area agencies and organizations now have an
opportunity to share how severe weather events impact their property and lives. There is also an opportunity to
share their ideas on how to reduce local impacts in the future.
The Houston County Office of Emergency Management is working with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota
Duluth to update the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). The plan assesses the natural hazards that pose risk
to the county, such as tornadoes, straight line winds, ice storms, blizzards, wildfire, flooding, and extreme
temperatures and identifies ways to minimize the damage of future events. As the county works to update the
plan, it wants to hear from the public.
The Houston County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Houston County, including the cities of
Brownsville, Caledonia, Eitzen, Hokah, Houston, La Crescent, and Spring Grove. The Houston County HMP
also incorporates the concerns and needs of townships, school districts, and area agencies or organizations
participating in the plan. The plan will be updated by a planning team made up of representatives from county
departments, local municipalities, school districts and other key stakeholders. When completed, the plan will be
submitted to the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for approval.
“Hazard mitigation planning is a central part of our emergency management program,” said Mark Olson, Houston
County Emergency Management Director. “Understanding the natural hazards that can cause serious impact to
our communities and taking action to reduce or eliminate the impact of future disasters makes us more resilient.
Hazard mitigation helps us to break the cycle of damage and repair caused by things like flooding, ice storms, and
severe wind events that can damage property, stress economies, and threaten life safety in our county.”
Sheriff’s Office: 507-725-3379 Fax: 507-725-2238 Tip Line: 507-725-5122
Brian L. Swedberg - SHERIFF
306 South Marshall Street Suite 1100 Caledonia MN 55921
preserving the peace and public trust
Examples of hazard mitigation include:
Conducting public outreach on severe weather awareness and preparedness
Limiting or restricting development in floodplain areas
Removing existing buildings from flood or erosion prone hazard areas
Using snow fences to limit blowing and drifting of snow over road corridors
Constructing tornado safe rooms in vulnerable areas such as mobile home parks
Burying overhead powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice, or windstorms
Some mitigation activities may be eligible for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding.
Public input is an essential part of the plan update. As part of the planning process, Houston County is seeking
feedback from residents and businesses from across the county to incorporate into the plan:
What are the natural hazards you feel pose the greatest risk to your community?
What concerns do you have, and what sorts of actions do you feel would help to reduce damages of future
hazard events in your community or the county as a whole?
Comments, concerns, or questions regarding natural disasters and potential mitigation actions to be included into
the plan update should be submitted to Houston County Emergency Management by phone, email, or by posting a
comment via a social media posting of this article.
There will be additional opportunities for public feedback throughout the planning process. A draft of the plan
will be made available for public review prior to submission of the plan to the State of Minnesota. Future news
releases will be shared with the media to notify the public of these opportunities.
The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) requires counties to update their plan every 5 years to
maintain eligibility for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs.
Contact
Mark Olson
Houston County Emergency Management Director
Phone: (507) 725-5834
Email: [email protected]
