Town of Worthington to Hold Public Engagement Event
Virtual Meeting 6:30 pm June 3, 2020
Worthington residents, businesses, and surrounding community representatives are invited to complete a survey and provide comments on the Town of Worthington Hazard Mitigation Plan update, now available. A presentation of the plan update is scheduled to occur on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 6:30 pm. Due to concerns about health and safety related to the pandemic the presentation will take place via teleconference.
Click here to take the survey.
Click here to register for the presentation on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 6:30pm.
The meeting will include a review of the hazard mitigation plan update process, results from the public survey, and a discussion of proposed mitigation strategies to address natural hazards in Worthington. Municipal officials and volunteers who worked on the plan update, along with PVPC staff, will be available to answer questions and listen to comments and input on the impacts of natural hazards on the Town. All members of the public, representatives from surrounding communities and other interested parties are encouraged to complete the on-line survey, review the plan, and provide feedback on the draft plan while attending the event.
Worthington_HazardMitigationPlanUpdate_201920_FinalClick here to download the report.
The hazard mitigation plan is being updated by the Town with assistance from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of Worthington’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) work to increase Worthington’s resilience to the increasingly severe and unpredictable weather events threatening the community. Following the meeting PVPC will submit the updated plan to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and then to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for formal approval. Having an approved up-to-date Hazard Mitigation Plan makes Worthington eligible to apply for federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to implement the plans’ top priority actions. Because the Town of Worthington is becoming a certified MVP community at the same time, the Town is also eligible to apply for up to $2,000,000 of state funds to implement top priorities in the MVP final report. This planning effort is being undertaken to help the Town of Worthington assess the risks faced from natural hazards, identify action steps that can be taken to prevent damage to property and loss of life, and prioritize funding for mitigation efforts. A mitigation action is any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards.