DIGHTON — Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein would like to encourage residents to participate in a survey on public disaster preparedness to assist the town in the development of its disaster planning strategy.
The Town of Dighton is currently engaged in a planning process to become less vulnerable to disasters caused by natural hazards, and public participation is essential. Residents are encouraged to complete the Public Preparedness Survey here.
The survey provides an opportunity for residents to share opinions and participate in the mitigation planning process. The information the town receives from residents will help officials to better understand the public’s hazard concerns and assist in developing mitigation planning that can help lessen the impact of possible future disasters.
The town is working with the state on developing a Hazard Mitigation Plan and a Municipal Vulnerability Plan, which is partly funded by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). This is an intergovernmental, multidisciplinary initiative that will assist the town in identifying and assessing the community’s natural hazard risks and determining how to best minimize and manage those risks.
The town was previously part of a multi-jurisdictional plan developed in 2004 by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District.
Upon completion, the plan will be submitted to MEMA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review and approval. A FEMA-approved plan makes Dighton eligible for future federal and state mitigation grant funding.
“The development of these plans is a great opportunity for our town to examine how we prepare for and respond to natural disasters,” Town Administrator Aronstein said. “We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to complete the survey and share their thoughts so that we can use the responses to help guide the process of creating a local disaster strategy.”
The development of the Hazard Mitigation Plan is being led by Jamie Caplan Consulting LLC, a Northampton-based firm. Bill Guenther and Arnold Robinson of Fuss and O’Neill, a Quincy-based civil and environmental engineering consulting firm, are working with the town on the development of the Municipal Vulnerability Plan.
Questions about the survey can be directed to Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein at 508-669-6431 or maronstein@dighton-ma.gov.
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