Chillicothe not in pre-disaster plan

BY CINDY TOOPES COURIER STAFF WRITER

July 19, 2008 12:26 am

— OTTUMWA — The town of Chillicothe isn’t included in the Wapello County Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan.
In the July 17 edition, the Courier included Chillicothe in the list of county towns.
Matt Naumann, a staff member of Area 15 Regional Planning Commission in Ottumwa, told the Courier Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Chillicothe won’t be eligible for pre-disaster mitigation funding.
“When [Area 15] originally applied for the planning grant, Chillicothe was included,” Naumann said. “FEMA said we could do the planning grant but can’t include Chillicothe [in pre-disaster mitigation plans] even though the town was participating in the National Flood Insurance Program and was mapped.”
Naumann said Chillicothe officials “never adopted the resolution,” which they needed to do in the late 1970s. So, FEMA said the town wasn’t eligible for funds to pay for mitigation equipment or structures.
“Now Chillicothe is compliant with NFIP and they have passed the ordinance. They will be included in the required five-year plan,” Naumann said.
The pre-disaster mitigation plan has “to be revisited every five years” to maintain eligibility for mitigation funding. Naumann said Chillicothe will be included in that update five years from now.
Meanwhile, is Chillicothe eligible for FEMA funding if a disaster occurs before the five years are up?
Naumann said the governor’s declaration of a disaster area would supersede anything else.
“The hazard mitigation plan doesn’t react to disasters. Instead, it’s the strategies of lessening damages of known hazards,” Naumann said. “[Federal officials] won’t stop relief funding.”
Citizens can view the pre-disaster mitigation plan at either Central Fire Station, Fourth and Wapello streets, or the Wapello County Auditor’s office in the courthouse, 101 W. Fourth St.
Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.