By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Livingston County has approved a new hazard mitigation plan.

Emergency Management Coordinator Therese Cremonte brought the updated plan before the Board of Commissioners last week. She said this is a large and very different plan from the Emergency Operations plan that was approved a few months ago. Cremonte told the Public Safety Committee that though they call it plan, it is more of a reference material which outlines hazards in Livingston County, vulnerabilities due to them, and then develops objectives and strategies for mitigating or preventing them.

Cremonte stressed the importance of getting the updated plan approved as the one presently in place is set to expire on April 4th. With a plan in place, grant opportunities from the federal government that deal with hazard and flooding mitigation become available. She used Hamburg Township as an example of a local municipality that could, and is currently attempting to take advantage.

Cremonte said that Hamburg Township has a flood mitigation grant application being processed, and without an active plan in place, it would probably null and void that application. All 20 jurisdictions in Livingston County approved the previous plan, and Cremonte told the full Board they were all active in providing input in the new one. The Board of Commissioners approved the plan unanimously.

It will now go to the state where it will be reviewed by the Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, and pending their approval, onto FEMA. Once it receives federal approval, it will be posted for public view on the county’s website, www.livgov.com.