In mid-September, as tens of thousands of people were still reeling from Hurricane Harvey and while Hurricane Irma was wreaking havoc in the Southeast, representatives of The Nature Conservancy, American Planning Association, and NACo visited South Seaside Park, N.J., which serves as a case study for NACo’s Naturally Resilient Communities partnership. It was a trip… Read more
A little over a month ago, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, found itself facing the third threat of the tropical hurricane season, Hurricane Nate. The storm was rapidly forming in the Caribbean Sea, and the parish had just days to inform and possibly mobilize the public to evacuate. The good news: It was prepared. Before the… Read more
It was about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 9 when Carmel Angelo, Mendocino County, California CEO, was notified by the sheriff’s office that a deadly wildfire was threatening the community. “As I was talking with our captain in the sheriff’s office, who was on the ground notifying neighbors and closing roads, he was trying to apprise me… Read more
For the past two years, NACo has been working with AECOM — a company that designs, builds, finances and operates infrastructure assets — and the American Planning Association and the Association of State Floodplain Managers to explore ways to reduce the long-term impacts of flooding by better integrating mitigation planning into the larger community planning… Read more
Although the House and the Senate remain at odds over how to advance legislation that would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the House on Nov. 14 approved its measure by a vote of 237–189 along party lines. The legislation, the 21st Century Flood Reform Act (H.R. 2874), combines a series of bills that,… Read more
Before disasters strike your county, you should be certain about which local or regional faith-based groups you can work with to help provide temporary shelter, hot meals and other types of assistance to residents, said Gregory Forrester, president and CEO, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. The national group also has state-level associations that you can… Read more
Dear National Association of Counties Membership – Thank you for inviting me to speak at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference. FEMA supports and shares your goal of creating healthy, vibrant and safe counties across the U.S. FEMA is leaning forward, both strategically and operationally. We are building on the successes of 2017 and… Read more
Bucksnort County was in crisis. A five-car accident had disrupted the small county’s life, with undetermined injuries and a difficult time reaching everyone in the area, thanks to uneven cellular coverage. While Commissioner Mark Scott addressed questions from the media, he thanked first responders and gave what updates he could, but then came a shout… Read more
In order to remain healthy, vibrant and safe, America’s counties must continue to strengthen their resiliency by building leadership capacity to better identify and manage risk. In 2017, there were 16 disaster events across the U.S. that resulted in losses exceeding $1 billion, including: 8 severe storms, 3 tropical cyclones, 2 floods, an extreme drought,… Read more
County leaders, federal officials and corporate partners met March 2, at NACo to discuss county-driven mitigation efforts that have made communities resilient to disasters. “The issue of resilience is ready for prime time, and the Resilient Counties Initiative is working to build the momentum around this movement as we identify our path forward,” said… Read more
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