Public Comment Period is Closed. (Public Comment Sought for County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan)
PDF Release in Full: Big Stone County News Release Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Review (2-2-23)
Big Stone County has completed an updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is now seeking
public feedback. Like all Minnesota counties, Big Stone County is vulnerable to a variety of potential natural
disasters, such as tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought, and extreme
temperatures, which threaten the loss of life and property in the county. Planning for natural disasters
minimizes the impact of these events that can cause vast economic loss and personal hardship.
All county residents, as well as other interested stakeholders (those in neighboring counties or working
with affected agencies) are strongly encouraged to review and offer feedback on the interactive website,
PDF of the draft plan, and proposed local mitigation actions. The review and comment period is open for a
period of 15 days through February 16, 2023.
The public can access the plan using the following links:
Big Stone County HMP Website (z.umn.edu/BigStoneHMP)
Mitigation Action Charts (https://big-stone-county-hmp-umn.hub.arcgis.com/pages/mitigation-actions)
Public Comment Feedback Form (https://z.umn.edu/BigStoneSurveyHMP)
The Big Stone County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Big Stone County, including the cities of
Barry, Beardsley, Clinton, Correll, Graceville, Johnson, Odessa, and Ortonville. The Big Stone County HMP
also incorporates the concerns and needs of townships, school districts, and other stakeholders
participating in the plan.
Update of the plan has been under direction of Big Stone County Emergency Management in cooperation
with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from county departments, city
and township governments, school districts, and other key stakeholders. Together, the planning team
worked to identify cost-effective and sustainable actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to
human life or property from natural hazards. Examples include improvement of roads and culverts that
experience repetitive flooding; construction of safe rooms in areas where residents and visitors are
vulnerable to tornadoes and severe storm events; burying powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice
or wind storms; ensuring timely emergency communication to the public through warning sirens and mass
notification systems; and conducting public awareness and education campaigns to help people be
prepared to take safe action before, during, or following a hazard event.
Hazard mitigation planning helps Big Stone County and other jurisdictions protect their residents. Working
with local communities through the process helps identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies to reduce
or eliminate the effects of a potential hazard. In addition, increasing public awareness of natural disasters
and encouraging personal preparedness helps to create a community that is resilient to disaster, and
breaks the cycle of response and recovery. Updating the plan further allows Big Stone County and its
jurisdictions to be eligible to apply for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program funding for
projects that help to reduce or eliminate the impacts of future natural hazard events.
Community feedback is vital to the success of the plan. Big Stone County invites public review and feedback
of the draft plan prior to submitting it to the State of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) for review. Feedback may be provided via the online comment forms or directly to Big
Stone County Emergency Management.
Contact:
Dona Greiner
Big Stone County Emergency Management Director
Phone: 320-839-6379
Email: Dona.Greiner@BigStoneCounty.org