The Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is seeking input from the public and stakeholders at a forum on the final draft of the Macon-Bibb County Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan. The forum will be held on February 18, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. in the Government Center Commission Chambers (700 Poplar Street). EMA staff and the Middle Georgia Regional Commission (MGRC) will provide an overview of the plan – including goals, objectives, and action steps – and discuss the next steps in the approval process. The updated Plan should be ready in the Spring of 2016.

“Planning for disasters is a team effort, requiring multiple county officials and community agencies, as well as the citizens of Macon-Bibb, ” says EMA Director Spencer Hawkins. “Macon-Bibb County government and the people of Macon-Bibb County need to work together so we can all weather any storm we face.”

The EMA has worked for several months with the MGRC and community partners on this Plan, which helps the government, emergency responders, neighborhood groups, non-profit organizations, and other partners identify hazards in the area, their vulnerabilities, and what needs to be done to stop or lessen the impact from them.

Multiple meetings have been held with Macon-Bibb County leaders, disaster response partners, and citizens. Throughout these meetings government officials, residents, and business owners were able to provide first-hand experience about how their neighborhoods are affected by issues like severe weather.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires the Plan be updated every five years in order for communities to be eligible for post-disaster financial reimbursement. The current plan allowed EMA to identify homes that were continually flooding, triggering a funding source from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and FEMA to purchase property and convert them to greenspace.