2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

2024 Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan

Purpose of the Hazard Mitigation Plan

• Ensure Cook County, Illinois and the participating jurisdictions qualify for federal funding, before and after a disaster occurs.
• Identify common threats and hazards the County faces.
• Develop common mitigation strategies, ensuring a comprehensive and county-wide approach is used.
• Develop intergovernmental partnerships within the County.
• Gain public insight and share public information, increasing residents’ knowledge and preparedness against the County’s threats and hazards.

What is Hazard Mitigation?

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), hazard mitigation is: “the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. It is most effective when implemented under a comprehensive, long-term mitigation plan. State, tribal, and local governments engage in hazard mitigation planning to identify risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters and develop long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events.”

2024 Plan Update

Cook County Emergency Management and Regional Security (EMRS) in conjunction with the participating communities is in the process of completing the 5-year update of the Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. EMRS is dedicated to involving the public directly in the review and update of the plan.

A draft of the plan can be accessed by clicking the link below. While the plan is currently in development, periodic updates to the draft will be posted on this web page. Upon state and FEMA approval, the final draft of the plan will replace the draft version of the plan.

• Volume I: This volume includes the planning-area-wide elements, and describes how the plan was updated, county-wide risk assessment findings, mitigation goals, capabilities, and how the plan will be maintained.

• Volume II: The Mitigation Actions and Projects from the County and Municipalities are included in Volume II.

Continued Public Involvement

Cook County and the Hazard Mitigation Steering Committee are dedicated to involving the public directly in the review and updates of the Plan. The public will have the opportunity to provide input into future Plan revisions and updates. Copies of the Plan will be kept by appropriate county departments and outside agencies.

Public meetings will be held when deemed necessary by the Steering Committee. The meetings will provide a forum where the public can express concerns, opinions, or new alternatives that can then be included in the Plan.

To further facilitate continued public involvement in the planning process, the public has the opportunity to provide continual feedback and input. As future needs and concerns arise, or if you would like to provide feedback regarding the latest version of the Hazard Mitigation Plan, please use the form below to provide your comments.

LINK TO FORM: https://integratedsolutions.wufoo.com/forms/comment-form-cook-county-hazard-mitigation-plan/

Questions or Comments?

Public and stakeholder participation and feedback are a vital part of the hazard mitigation planning process. Please check this page regularly for information on upcoming opportunities to engage in the planning process. If you would like to get in touch with the project team, please use the following contact information: