The second Atchison County Hazard Mitigation Plan meeting will be held Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at the Tarkio Nutrition Center, 412 Main Street in Tarkio, Missouri.

This public meeting is open to all elected officials, residents and stakeholders in Atchison County. If you have an interest in making Atchison County a safer place, plan to attend this informative hazard mitigation meeting. Through the planning meetings, officials are working to update risk assessment and mitigation strategies for various natural hazards that impact Atchison County. The overall purpose is to identify mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate long-term risk from natural hazard events to people and property in Atchison County.

At this meeting, a summary will be provided of the draft risk assessment. Participants will be requested to contribute to the review. Participants will also help update the plan goals that provide the basis for the mitigation strategy portion of the plan. Additionally, the planning committee will begin the process of updating the status of each hazard mitigation action that was included in the current Hazard Mitigation Plan for Atchison County.

Atchison County is susceptible to many types of natural hazards. Tornadoes, winter storms, and flooding have shaped the landscape, history, and economy of the county. Hazard mitigation planning is the process of developing sustained actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risks associated with these potential disasters. The plan, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the communities of Atchison County, will utilize a committee of first responders, elected officials, and public volunteers to gather community and county specific information.

All interested citizens and public officials of Atchison County are invited. An RSVP is requested for anyone planning to attend. Contact Kirk Kopper (solid@nwmorcog.org) or Steve Houts (steve@nwmorcog.org) at the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments with questions and RSVPs.