The plan, which has been approved by the state and federal emergency management agencies, now moves to Fayette municipalities for adoption.
Uniontown, PA - The Fayette County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has officially updated its Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Fayette County is required by law to update its plan every five years. The latest renewal was completed in September 2022; received approval from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and was recently adopted by the Fayette County commissioners.
EMA Director Roy Shipley said the plan is required to ensure eligibility for certain types of state and federal relief funding in the event of a disaster, making municipalities’ participation crucial.
“We’re now in the process of having all the municipalities that participated in the planning process formally adopt the plan, which will then become their official plan in the event of any emergencies,” Shipley said. “I believe we had 38 of our 42 municipalities participate this time around.”
Fayette County EMA recognizes mitigation as one of the four phases of emergency management. It is defined as methods to reduce the vulnerability of the populace and property of the county to injury and loss resulting from natural and man-made disasters.
EMA officials worked with the county’s contracted mitigation planners, Michael Baker International, throughout the process. They also worked to adopt a new approach to updating the plan moving forward.
“We’re now putting the plan together through annual updates that help us prepare for when we do this every five years,” Shipley said. “We’ve already been approved for a $105,000 Hazard Mitigation Grant from Region 3 to help with that process.”
Fayette County will next update its Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2027. To learn more, contact Shipley at rshipley@fcema.org.
For more information about Fayette County, visit www.fayettecountypa.org.
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This communication is part of the Fayette County PR Initiative, which is funded through the Fayette County Local Share Account (LSA) and Hotel Tax Grants in cooperation with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, The Redstone Foundation and other partners. This funding has been designated for the continued promotion and marketing of Fayette County, PA.
For more information, contact Rick Fike Public Relations Media Specialist, at 724-437-4571, rfike@fayettecountypa.info or Kaylie Moore, Community Relations Coordinator, at 724-430-1200 Ext. 1611, kmoore@fayettepa.org. 