MEDIA CONTACT:  Julie Willmot
(609) 278-7137

TRENTON, N.J. - Mercer County’s Office of Emergency Management hosted an open public meeting July 20 in order to receive input from residents on the County’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan, and a draft of that document is now available on the Mercer County website and is open for public comment.

The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Plan studies the natural and manmade hazards that present the biggest risks to Mercer County and establishes goals that seek to prevent or lessen the impact of these potential disasters. The main threat to Mercer is flooding, but the plan also targets other hazards including hurricanes, snow storms, and straight-line wind events. For information about the plan, go to
 http://nj.gov/counties/mercer/departments/psem/geneinfo.html.
To see the draft in its entirety, go to
 http://nj.gov/counties/mercer/departments/pdfs/pdm_ndrrmc20100714.pdf.

County and municipal officials have had several meetings during the process of drafting the plan, and the public comment period on the plan will be open until Aug. 6. Interested parties can submit comments about the draft either in writing or by email. Residents can comment on aspects of the plan and offer ideas of their own on how to mitigate disasters. Comments by email can be sent to pdm@mercercounty.org. Comments submitted in writing can be mailed to Mercer County Office of Emergency Management, 350 Lawrence Station Road, Lawrence, NJ 08648. All comments will then be forwarded to the County’s consultant, James Lee Witt Associates.

Emergency management and its partners in each of the 13 municipalities, law enforcement, and other agencies work not only to provide post-disaster damage repair and recovery, but to identify potential areas of concern and initiate solutions before disasters occur. With careful selection, pre-disaster mitigation actions can be a long-term, cost-effective means of reducing the risk of loss and creating a more disaster-resistant and sustainable community.

The PDM plan is an effort to prevent and minimize future loss of life, injury, property damage, and economic disruption as a result of natural or man-made disasters. The creation of the PDM plan also makes Mercer County eligible for federal monies to be used to address vulnerable assets or locations.