Elizabeth City, N.C. (WTKR) - Eight counties in Northeastern North Carolina are joining forces to come up with a regional natural disaster plan.
The Albemarle Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan will combine the hazard mitigation plans of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties.
Billy Winn, Director of Emergency Management in Gates County has helped spearhead the effort.
He tells NewsChannel 3 that each jurisdiction already has a plan but they are largely repetitive.
Given that the hazards in the area are mostly the same, it only makes sense to merge the plans into one regional effort, which will include an annex for each county or town to include specifics.
Winn says not only will a regional plan simplify things, it will also be a cost-saver.
Right now they are soliciting public feedback to help form the plan, including what concerns exist and what can be done to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
You can take part in the survey by clicking on this link.
Maintaining a Hazard Mitigation Plan makes the communities eligible for FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants.
