Dodge County Emergency Management

05/09/2022

Thunderstorms are beginning to develop along Interstate 35 in
Minnesota. Storms that develop will have potential to turn severe
quickly this evening with a threat of very large hail, damaging
winds, and perhaps a tornado. The storms will advance into
southeast Minnesota and parts of northeast Iowa through 630 PM.
Have multiple ways to receive warnings and stay weather aware
this evening!

04/23/2022

Please keep your eyes on the weather this evening.

*** Update....This watch has been canceled. The severe weather threat has ended for tonight. ***

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued until 10 PM CDT for Dodge and Mower counties in southeast Minnesota; and Floyd and Mitchell counties in northeast Iowa. Scattered damaging wind gusts and hail up to half dollar size hail (1.50-inch in diameter) will be possible.

02/20/2022

Please stay aware of changing weather conditions as we start the week. Travel impacts are expected so please plan ahead now.

Winter is making its comeback. A multi-day winter storm system will result in travel impacts across the region on Monday and Tuesday. Freezing drizzle may begin as early as Monday morning and could affect the morning commute. The threat for a light wintry mix grows for Monday afternoon and lasts through Tuesday morning, gradually transitioning to snow from north to south. For Tuesday afternoon, a band of heavier snow looks to form from south-central MN to central WI and could bring moderate to heavy snow. The system departs Tuesday night.

01/05/2022

DODGE COUNTY NEWS RELEASE
January 5, 2022

Public Comment Sought for
County’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan

Dodge County has completed an updated draft of the of its Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) and is now seeking public feedback on it. Citizens can find a link to review the plan and offer feedback by visiting https://z.umn.edu/dodge_hmp. The review and comment period is open through Tuesday, January 18, 2022. After that, the county will submit the draft plan to the State of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review.

The Dodge County MHMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Dodge County, including the cities of Claremont, Dodge Center, Hayfield, Kasson, Mantorville, and West Concord. The plan additionally covers the portion of the city of Blooming Prairie that is located within Dodge County. The Dodge County MHMP also incorporates the concerns and needs of townships, school districts, and other stakeholders participating in the plan.

Dodge County is vulnerable to a variety of potential natural disasters, which threaten the loss of life and property in the county. The plan addresses how to mitigate against hazards such as tornadoes, flooding, wildland fires, blizzards, straight-line winds, ice storms, and droughts which have the potential for inflicting vast economic loss and personal hardship.

Update of the plan has been under direction of Dodge County Emergency Management in cooperation with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from County departments, city and township governments, school districts, and other key stakeholders. Together, the planning team worked to identify cost-effective and sustainable actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life or property from natural hazards. Some examples include improvement of roads and culverts that experience repetitive flooding; construction of safe rooms at campgrounds, public parks, mobile home parks or schools to protect lives in the event of tornados or severe wind events; burying powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice or wind storms; ensuring timely emergency communication to the public through warning sirens and mass notification systems, and conducting public awareness and education campaigns to help people be prepared to take safe action before, during, or following a hazard event.

Hazard mitigation planning helps Dodge County and other jurisdictions protect their residents. Working with local communities through the process helps identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate the effects of a potential hazard. In addition, increasing public awareness of local hazards and disaster preparedness helps to create a community that is resilient to disaster, and breaks the cycle of response and recovery. Updating the plan further allows the County and its jurisdictions to apply for eligible projects under future Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant funding from FEMA for projects that are cost-effective and will help to reduce or eliminate impacts of future natural disaster events.

Community feedback is vital to the success of the plan. Dodge County invites public review and feedback of the draft plan prior to submitting it to the State of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review. Feedback may be provided via the online comment form or directly to Dodge County Emergency Management.

Contact
Erin Wegner
Dodge County Emergency Management Deputy Director
Phone: 507-635-6219
Email: [email protected]

12/15/2021

Dodge County will experience severe weather this evening. Strong damaging winds are likely with gusts up to 60-80 MPH.
Power outages are also expected.
A threat of tornadoes is possible and some could be strong and longer lasting.
These storms will be fast moving so there will be little to no lead time on warnings.
Please be weather aware and pay attention to forecasts, watches and warnings.

We cannot emphasize enough the unusual nature of this event. A risk this high for severe weather in December has never occurred before this far north. Storms will have the potential to produce 70 mph wind gusts with isolated gusts of 80 mph or higher possible. Tornadoes will be possible and a strong tornado could occur. If warnings are issued for your location, DO NOT take time to validate that a storm is occurring. Instead, take shelter immediately! The storms will likely be moving at 60 to 70 mph and if you delay seeking shelter, the storms could hit your location before you are safe.

12/10/2021

Please plan ahead as you will see significant travel impacts.

Friday Morning Update 12/10/2021 - A dangerous winter storm will move across the region today into early Saturday morning with a band of heavy snow impacting portions of the Upper Mississippi Valley. The highest impacts will be during the afternoon and evening hours. Some blowing and drifting snow is expected as winds increase tonight. It could be problematic causing dangerous travel. Warm air wrapping into the storm will cause a wintry mix and possibly light icing. This would reduce snow totals across southern Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. Mainly rain is expected across far southwest Wisconsin and adjacent parts of Iowa. Change your travel plans if possible to avoid this dangerous snow area.

03/05/2021

Please share

01/11/2021

**UPDATE - As of 8:00pm the issues with 911 are repaired. The following information is expired **. Dodge County is experiencing some issues with receiving 911 calls. If you have an emergency and need assistance, please call 507-635-6200 Please share

12/29/2020

09/28/2020

**UPDATE**
**Dodge county 911 lines are working again now**

Dodge county is currently experiencing intermittent 911 outage. If you are not able to call 911, please call 507-635-6200. Please share

07/08/2020

DODGE COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

July 8th, 2020

Public Input Wanted as County Updates

Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan

Tornadoes, straight-line winds, ice storms, blizzards, flooding, wildland fires and droughts are the kinds of natural disasters most likely to cause widespread economic loss and personal hardship in Dodge County. Taking steps to minimize the damage from a natural disaster is key to the County’s multi-hazard mitigation plan (MHMP); and as the County works to update the plan, it wants to hear from the public.

The Dodge County Office of Emergency Management is currently working with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth to update the County’s plan. Also working on the update is a planning team of representatives from County departments, local municipalities, school districts and other key stakeholders such as utility providers.

The Dodge County MHMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Dodge County, including the cities of Claremont, Dodge Center, Hayfield, Kasson, Mantorville, and West Concord. The plan additionally covers the portion of the city of Blooming Prairie that is located within Dodge County. The Dodge County MHMP also incorporates the concerns and needs of townships, school districts, and other stakeholders participating in the plan.

“Hazard mitigation planning is a central part of our emergency management program,” said Erin Wegner, Dodge County Deputy 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.”

Examples of hazard mitigation include actions include improvement of roads and culverts that experience repetitive flooding; construction of safe rooms at campgrounds, public parks, mobile home parks or schools to protect lives in the event of tornadoes or severe wind events; burying powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice or wind storms; ensuring timely emergency communication to the public through warning sirens and mass notification systems, and conducting public awareness and education campaigns to help people to be prepared to take safe action before, during, or following a hazard event. Some mitigation activities may be eligible for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding.

As part of the planning process, Dodge 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?

· Have you experienced a previous disaster event?

· What concerns do you have, and what sorts of mitigation actions or projects do you feel would help to reduce the damages of potential future events for your personal property, 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 process should be submitted to Dodge County Emergency Management.

There will be additional opportunities for public feedback throughout the planning process. A draft of the plan will be posted on the County website 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

Erin Wegner

Dodge County Emergency Management Deputy Director

Phone: 507-635-6219

Email: [email protected]

04/20/2020

Dodge County Emergency Management is continuing to accept donations of PPE.
The donations that have been collected are being dispersed to local first responders, long term care facilities and group homes.
Donations can be dropped off at the Dodge County Sheriff's Office or contact the number listed and pick up can be arranged if you reside in Dodge County.
Thank you are all the help received so far! It is very much appreciated!