Saturday, April 20, 2024
Finding ways to protect Coryell County residents and their property — and also finding out what concerns people the most when it comes to natural disasters and how prepared they are — are the primary points of emphasis of the hazard mitigation plan (HMP) that Coryell County is working on with Natural Resources Solutions.
On Jan. 18, local residents had a chance to learn more about the plan, why it's important, and to give their input during a public meeting at the Gatesville City Auditorium. A meeting was also held on Jan. 19 in Evant. County residents will have two more opportunities to talk to county leaders about their concerns or questions — from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Copperas Cove Council Chamber and from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Oglesby Community Center.
"This is being tailored to Copperas Cove, Gatesville, Oglesby, Evant and throughout the county," said County Judge Roger Miller. "A key point is trying to get your feedback to identify the hazards that are relevant to you based on your particular concerns in your geographic area of the county."
Maddie Todd with NRS, who is helping lead the efforts, said Coryell County is developing a comprehensive countywide plan that identifies dangers or threats and seeks a way to reduce or lessen their impact.
The county HMP focuses on natural disasters such as thunderstorms, flooding, tornadoes, extreme heat, drought, wildfire, winter storms, and dam failure.
"We are looking for projects or strategies to mitigate or lessen the impact (of disasters)," Todd said. "This is intended to be community-driven with the citizens' needs and concerns in mind."
Once the plan is approved, it will be updated at least once every five years.
"Hazards may occur in the future that we're not currently experiencing," Todd said.
"There are two main benefits (to having an HMP) — we want to make sure county residents and property are protected, and we want to secure future funding opportunities. This is intended to make this the most disaster-resilient community possible."
Although the HMP is a county initiative, Todd said local municipalities can also benefit and apply for grants related to reducing threats to their communities.
"The main goal is to help make sure the public knows what we're doing with the HMP and why it's important to get their input," Todd said. She said the primary way people can make their concerns known is to fill out a public survey "that will take 5-10 minutes and is completely anonymous. The majority of the questions goes to the different hazards, people's level of concern about each of them, and also how prepared they feel to deal with different hazards."
The deadline for people to complete the survey, which can be found online at www.coryellcountyhmp.com or at the scheduled public meetings, is Feb. 12.
The plan is expected to be submitted to the state by April 13.
Judge Miller said that Coryell County is one of only 27 counties statewide — and the only county in the eastern half of the state — that does not have a hazard mitigation plan.
"The ultimate goal — rather than just reacting to natural disasters, hopefully we'll be proactive and reduce the impact these disasters have on people's lives and property," he said.
He added that because the county does not have an HMP, "we are prohibited from qualifying for hundreds of millions of dollars in grants every year — that's at least $400 million has been ineligible to apply for in the last four years."
One resident attending the meeting asked about the evacuation of Flat in the spring of 2022 when wildfires threatened the community.
"People were asked to evacuate, and I looked online for information and there wasn't anything," she said. "Where are we supposed to go for information?"
Miller said that is one thing the HMP will allow the county to develop — a trusted source of information when disasters arise.
"We do not have a streamlined emergency response program, and we rely heavily on volunteers," Miller said. "That fire was going on for four or five hours before I knew about it. When we implement the plan, we'll look at (the best way to provide quick and accurate information)."
Todd said part of the HMP focuses on ways to "disseminate information so that everyone is aware of what to do in certain situations."
Gatesville City Manager Bill Parry said along with the HMP, the county is also working on a separate wildfire protection plan that addresses what needs to be done to reduce risks.
"Emergency communication is very important, but a wildfire plan is being developed separately," he said.
Miller said the state spent about $2.2 million fighting the Crittenberg Complex fire last spring, and that local fire departments spent an additional $80,000 battling the blaze.
"There are potentially some things that can be done ahead of time to prevent fires from spreading," Miller said.
One resident asked why Coryell County can't simply copy Bell County's plan.
"For the (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grant to be implemented, there has to be local input," Miller said. He added that much of the same wording used in plans from Bell, McLennan, Hamilton, Milam, and other counties would also be in the Coryell County plan, but added, "we’re trying to tailor this to the needs of people in Coryell County."
Another question asked was to give examples of ways to mitigate disasters.
"We have 72 low-water crossings in Coryell County, and we experience flooding events," Miller said. "If we can improve those, that is one example of mitigation.
"Another example goes back to the wildfire protection plan. If it is approved by (the Texas Department of Emergency Management and the Texas A&M Forest Service), up to $10 million is available for mitigation. You can do what Fort Hood did and cut firebreaks along the fence line. If funding is available to help, local residents might do that."
Miller said the county is "very fortunate to have NRS working with us and getting the word out."
He also asked community members to do their part.
"I ask you to do two things," Miller said. "Number one, take the survey. It will tell us how these hazards are impacting you. Number two, get five other people to take the survey. It’s important for us to have your input.”
