WAHPETON, N.D. – Richland County Commission Chair Nathan Berseth announced approval of the Richland County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan by the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, Homeland Security Division. Plan development, led by Emergency Manager Brett Lambrecht, required the expertise of a broad-based team of public and private partners.
“The intent of hazard mitigation planning is to keep communities safer by understanding hazards and threats and then identifying action steps to reduce their impacts,” said Lambrecht. “Plan approval allows our communities to pursue federal mitigation grant dollars.” The plan is approved from December 5, 2022 through December 4, 2027 for the county, including all 14 cities.
The State of North Dakota is one of only three states that has an agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to administer both the planning and the program portions of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Through FEMA’s Program Administration by States Pilot Project, states like North Dakota can administer Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs by meeting the following criteria: have a current approved mitigation plan, demonstrate a commitment to mitigation and have a successful track record or effective mitigation program management.
Since 1997, a total of $253 million in local, tribal, state and federal funding has been leveraged for mitigation projects that have reduced the impacts of flooding, severe winter weather, severe summer weather and other hazards and threats in North Dakota.
