Impact of natural hazards to be assessed by county The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has begun developing a comprehensive all-natural hazards-mitigation plan for the county and its 53 municipalities. "We have 100 percent participation from all 53 municipalities, so I am confident this process will move forward because there is so much at stake," said Gary McTighe, acting coordinator of the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management. According to a press release from the county, the primary natural hazard in Monmouth County is flooding, but other potential hazards such as drought, extreme cold, extreme heat, snow, ice, hail, windstorms and tornadoes will be included in the planning process. The vulnerability to various natural hazards will be determined based on existing and future buildings, infrastructure and critical facilities that might be impacted. Critical facilities include shelters and hospitals; infrastructure includes power-generation facilities, water utilities, roads, railroads and communication systems. The completed plan will include a risk assessment and a hazard-mitigation strategy that will identify county and local projects that can reduce damage from future natural hazards, according to the press release. "The goal is to reduce the potential damages caused by natural hazards before the next one hits Monmouth County," said Freeholder Director William C. Barham, liaison to the county's Office of Emergency Management. "This project will provide a detailed plan and action items that will address a variety of potential hazards that could affect some or all of our citizens. What we do today will protect us tomorrow." The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the county a multi-jurisdictional All Natural Hazards Mitigation grant in the amount of $345,375 in late 2006. The county has contracted with URS Corporation of Wayne for the full grant amount to develop the county's hazards mitigation plan in accordance with state and federal standards. The county and its municipalities will contribute an additional $115,125 of in-kind staff services, bringing the project total to $460,500. According to the press release, the creation of this plan will allow the county and its participating municipalities to be eligible for future mitigation funding from FEMA. The risk assessment will include four phases: • identify hazards that may impact the county and its municipalities; • profile the relevant hazards and their potential consequences; • identify assets that are subject to losses or damage, including physical structures, functions and populations; and • estimate the potential losses that could result from each type of hazard. Following the risk assessment, the county will develop a hazard mitigation strategy. The strategy will include the identification of hazard mitigation goals as well as a prioritized list of actions designed to reduce losses. A series of public meetings will be part of the plan development process, both to solicit public comment and to present the draft plan to residents and local officials.