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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
ADOPTION OF THE 2024 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’s (FEMA) mitigation and 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 through the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program, which has, as a condition of funding eligibility, a requirement for jurisdictions to prepare and adopt a hazard mitigation plan; and
WHEREAS, to maintain continued eligibility for FEMA mitigation grant assistance programs, the Act requires that a hazard mitigation plan be updated and adopted every five years; and
WHEREAS, the 2024 update of the Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan was adopted by the Cook County Board of Commissioners on July 25, 2024 (Board Item No. 24-3577); and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the Act’s requirements, 125 Cook County jurisdictions, including municipalities, special districts, and the Forest Preserves, engaged in the FEMA-prescribed mitigation planning process to prepare the 2024 Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (“2024 Plan”) and its associated local hazard mitigation plan annexes; and
WHEREAS, the 2024 Plan has been approved by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region V; 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, The Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserves of Cook County hereby accepts, approves and adopts in their entirety Volumes 1 (Planning-Area-Wide-Elements) and 2 (Planning Partner Annexes) of the 2024 Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Forest Preserves of Cook County commits to continuing to participate in the updating and revision of the 2024 Plan, with another plan review and revision to occur within a five-year cycle, and designating staff to provide annual progress reports on the status of implementation of the 2024 Plan to the Forest Preserves Board of Commissioners.
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