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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
ADOPTION OF THE 2019 COOK COUNTY MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves of Cook County (“Forest Preserves”) recognizes the threat that natural hazards pose to people and property within the forest preserves and recognizes the importance of reducing or eliminating vulnerability to disasters caused by natural hazards for the overall good and welfare of the community; and
WHEREAS, on October 10, 2000, the U.S. Congress passed the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (“Act”) which provides the legal framework for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mitigation, planning requirements for state, local, and tribal governments as a condition of mitigation grant assistance emphasizing the need for pre-disaster mitigation of potential hazards; and
WHEREAS, as a condition of future funding for mitigation projects, the Act requires jurisdictions to prepare and adopt hazard mitigation plans to identify and address certain vulnerabilities that exist prior to and during a disaster; and
WHEREAS, FEMA supports disaster grant funding that support critical recovery initiatives, innovative research and many other programs and in order to be eligible for several of FEMA’s grant programs, jurisdictions must prepare and adopt a hazard mitigation plan; and
WHEREAS, on September 10, 2014, the Cook County Board adopted the Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (“2014 Plan”), which represented 115 Cook County jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, to maintain continued eligibility for FEMA mitigation grant assistance programs the Act requires that a hazard mitigation plan be updated every five years; and
WHEREAS, Cook County evaluated the hazards, risks, and mitigation measures identified in the 2014 Plan, and incorporated the results of these evaluations into a two-volume updated Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan composed of Volume 1 - Planning-Area-Wide-Elements and Volume 2 - Planning Partner Annexes (“2019 Plan”); and
WHEREAS, the 2019 Plan has been adopted by the Cook County Board of Commissioners; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the Act’s requirements, 121 Cook County jurisdictions, including municipalities and special districts, engaged in the FEMA-prescribed mitigation planning process to prepare the 2019 Plan and its associated local hazard mitigation plan annexes; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves proposes to adopt the 2019 Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves manages nearly 70,000 acres of public land that provide valuable ecosystem services including cleaner air and water, reduced flooding, and contribute to this region’s resilience to disasters and to events triggered by climate change.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by Toni Preckwinkle, President, and the Forest Preserves of Cook County Board of Commissioners that the 2019 Plan is hereby accepted, approved and adopted.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Forest Preserves of Cook County will continue to participate in the updating and revision of the 2019 Plan with another plan review and revision to occur within a five-year cycle, and designated staff will provide annual progress reports on the status of implementation of the 2019 Plan to the Board.
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