Morgan City Council adopts parish's disaster mitigation plan

The Morgan City Council on Tuesday signed on to a parishwide plan that would keep the city government eligible for federal disaster assistance.
The council approved a resolution adopting the St. Mary Parish Hazard Mitigation Plan, which was completed in March.
According to the resolution, the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 emphasizes mitigation, or taking steps in advance to reduce the risk of damage from natural disasters, and requires the jurisdictions to adopt plans taking that into account in order to remain eligible for federal aid.
The key elements of the plan are risk assessment, cataloging the resources available to deal with disasters, mitigation strategy, and maintenance and procedures in the plan, according to a presentation by Edward Anthony of Quality Engineering Services. That firm is consulting with the parish on plan development.
Anthony identified the three largest causes of property damage in the parish: flooding, hurricanes and tropical storms, and hail, lightning and wind damage from thunderstorms.
Hurricanes account for 75% of property damage, he said.
Jurisdictions across the parish participated in the mitigation plan’s development by way of a hazard mitigation plan committee.
Local governments often rely on aid obtained through the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reimbursement of expenses both before and after a disaster.
The aid in advance covers expenses such as additional staffing. After a disaster, the aid can help local governments pay for damage to infrastructure components such as roads, bridges and water systems.
Click here to find St. Mary's draft hazard mitigation plan.