If the winter storm last year proved anything, it pays to be prepared in the event of a natural disaster.

Collin County Assistant Emergency Management Specialist Randall Gurney presented information about the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan during a Wednesday, Jan. 12 public hearing. This was the second of two public meetings on the updated plan, the first of which took place in November 2021.

The purpose of the public hearing was to allow local cities and community members to offer input or ask questions about the 2021 update to the Hazard Mitigation Plan. 

The county’s first plan took effect in 2011, and it was last updated in 2016. The newest version, set to be approved later this year, would be effective for the next five years. 

The first cycle of planning involves internal meetings between Gurney and other county staff followed by the presentation during the two public meetings.

After the county plan is finalized, the county sends it to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) for approval. Following federal and state approval, the plan can then be adopted by city councils within Collin County.

Any city that signs onto the plan can also make town-specific modifications to the plan or add additional procedures to its mitigation plan.

For the full story, see the Jan. 20 issue of the Sachse News.