Steve Lamb, Director of Marion County EMA, left, talks with Gary Stockton, Emergency Services Coordinator for Tennessee Emergency Management Agency in South Pittsburg in this file picture.JASPER, Tenn. - When a natural disaster strikes, local government officials across Marion County want to be prepared.
In 2010, Marion Emergency Management Director Steve Lamb started working on a countywide natural hazard mitigation plan.
"It refers to policies and activities that will reduce the area's vulnerabilities to damage from future disasters like floods or severe weather," Lamb said.
The Jasper Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to adopt the mitigation plan this week.
Alderman Paul "Mac" Bumpus said he appreciated Lamb's hard work over the last four years.
"I know it's a lot of work and took a lot of effort," he said.
The plan in Marion County focuses on four major hazard categories: flash flooding, flooding, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.
"Those were the highest incidents that we've had in the historical records of the county," Lamb said.
The proposal doesn't obligate the town to do anything or spend any money, he said, but it allows Jasper to apply for grants in September of each year that could be used to reduce potential hazards.
Flood plain management is an example of one modification Jasper already has incorporated into its zoning laws.
The town now has a drainage problem underneath U.S. Highway 41, and Lamb said that's something Jasper could seek grant-funding help to correct with a hazard mitigation plan in place.
"You can fix culverts," he said. "There's a buyout option for repetitive flooding locations. The big deal is that you cannot apply for these grants if you don't have an approved plan."
Only the municipalities of Orme and Monteagle in Marion County are not part of the mitigation plan.
Monteagle has been incorporated in Grundy County's plan, while city leaders in Orme have chosen not to adopt Marion's plan.
The 85-page document should get final state approval by mid-August and will be updated every five years, Lamb said.
"It's just another mechanism to help protect the community," he said.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.