HAZARD MITIGATION

SPECIAL PURPOSE COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

Cold Waves/ Ice Storms

Ms. Kaye Simmons, Chair of the Hazard Mitigation Special Purpose Committee for Cold Waves and ice Storms called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m., and discussed the purposes of the meeting. (Attendance list attached)

Ms. Simmons reviewed the previous meeting of the committee and the meeting of the special purpose committee chairs. She stressed the importance of comments to go into the planning process. Alfonso Casana distributed materials to those attending and discussed the planning needed to prevent problems that were revealed by the disaster from Katrina and Rita hurricanes.

Ms. Simmons led a discussion of the need for the planning participation as a basis for obtaining funding support for pre-mitigation and disaster relief. She urged the committee members to review the CD data distributed after the committee chairs session. She said where there were gaps in the information, an effort should be made to make recommendations.

Tony Richey said he had been unable to open the CD. Mr. Casana made some

suggestions. Tony Keithley said he had heard of a couple of others unable to open the file. Mr. Casana said the data was in both PDF and Word files and he would help anyone with a problem.

John Monroe said a snow storm as severe as one in the past would be beyond the capability of his county to cope. He asked about grant funds for equipment. Mr. Casana said some funds may be available for pre-mitigation. Mr. Keithley said such funds are competitive. Mr. Casana said that each community had to participate in the planning process; that a county plan did not cover the cities in the county. He also noted that each community needed to have at least one mitigation action defined in the plan. Grants would only be made for needs identified in the plan.

Ms. Simmons asked committee members to review the Mitigation Strategy and implementation section and the Task Check List.

Mr. Casana pointed out that it was very important that comments and corrections are made to the plan.

Ms Simmons said she would contact absent members and request comments be sent by October 21. The meeting was adjourned.