Greenville Prepares for Mother Nature’s Wrath
In Greenville, the community understands that preparedness is key when hazardous events come knocking on the door. Just recently, we were reminded of this when Hurricane Helene made its impact felt in the Upstate in late September, unleashing heavy rains that resulted in flooding and damages throughout the area. But that’s not all! Other potential hazards that threaten this vibrant city include winter weather, wildfires, and even tornadoes. With all these risks in mind, it’s no surprise that the city has put together a thorough Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan.
What’s in the Plan?
This extensive plan aims to assess the risks associated with various natural disasters and outlines clever strategies to minimize their impact on our community. According to city engineer Paul Dow, one of the key benefits of this plan is that it also unlocks doors to disaster funding. That’s right! To be eligible for assistance grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the city needs to have this multi-hazard mitigation plan in place.
Updates Galore!
Recently, the city completed some significant updates to this plan, a process that took nearly a year! The original plan was developed back in 2009 and is part of the larger Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. The last major overhaul took place in 2015. Dow emphasizes how crucial it is to regularly revise this plan to keep up with the changing landscape of hazards, technologies, and resources.
The updated mitigation plan was unveiled at the city’s project preview meeting on October 22. A dedicated committee, composed of 24 members from various public and private agencies, was formed to tackle the revision process. This committee included representatives from the city, Greenville County, Greenville County Schools, Prisma Health, and the United Way of Greenville County, with expert consultation from the firm Woolpert.
New Strategies for a Safer Greenville
In order to update the plan, the committee reviewed data and conducted a thorough hazard and risk assessment. Their hard work resulted in the creation of thirty-four new mitigation initiatives, categorized into six main areas. Interestingly, some of the measures were inspired by lessons learned during Hurricane Helene itself! For instance, one major takeaway was the importance of having efficient coordination between Duke Energy and the city during clean-up efforts for fallen trees and downed power lines.
“Think about when trees hit power lines,” Dow explains. “Sometimes when Duke Power gets there, they need help with the tree, and when the city arrives, they need help with the power lines. Now we know immediately to get the two together as opposed to working separately.” This newfound knowledge helped to cut down delays, ensuring a smoother response in the future.
Next Steps for Approval
The city’s revised emergency plan is set to undergo a public review before it gets submitted to emergency agencies, including FEMA, for final approval. It doesn’t stop there — the plan will also need the green light from the Greenville City Council. Dow anticipates that the council will review the updated plan by the end of this year, paving the way for a safer Greenville.
As hurricane season continues, it’s heartening to know that Greenville is taking proactive steps to safeguard its residents. Here’s hoping the lessons learned will help the community to be better prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store.
