Caroline County Department of Emergency Services is Developing a Hazard Mitigation Plan

The Caroline County Department of Emergency Services is actively developing the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. Through grant funds provided by FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency, our Emergency Management Division began planning earlier this past Summer.

By definition, Hazard Mitigation is any substantial action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards. The 2019 Caroline County Hazard Mitigation Plan forms the foundation for our County and Municipality’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage.

The first step in the plan development process involved the identification of key stakeholders, which resulted in the formation of a planning committee. Representatives from the following State, County and Municipal organizations contributed to the plan:
Department of Emergency Services
Department of Planning & Codes
Department of Public Works
Department of Social Services
Recreation & Parks
Health Department
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Soil Conservation District of Caroline
Maryland Rural Development Corporation
Maryland Emergency Management Agency
Town of Greensboro
Town of Federalsburg
Town of Denton
Town of Ridgely
Town of Henderson
Town of Preston
Town of Templeville
Town of Marydel

A main component of the plan update includes the identification of hazard areas. Special emphasis has been placed on the identifying roadways that flood from severe storms including tropical storms and heavy rain events. The results will aid in determining ideas to eliminate and/or reduce the effects of flood hazard events to Caroline County. The plan also identifies other hazards including hail, mass power outages, drought/extreme heat, thunderstorms, epidemics, coastal storms, wildfires, winter weather, tornado, and shoreline erosion.

Once the plan is reviewed and approved by both the State of Maryland and FEMA, the plan will proceed to County and Municipal adoption.