Decorah School District signs off on Winneshiek County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan

Decorah School District has signed a resolution in support of the Winneshiek County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan development was led by Winneshiek County Emergency and the Upper Explorerland agency.  Cities, agencies and schools throughout the county were involved in creating the plan.

The plan addresses many potential disasters such as tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, and chemical spills. Although implementation of the  plan may be years in coming, tangible goals have been established. By committing to the plan, the District is listed as being the "responsible agency" related to some of the specific implementation goals, including emergency generator systems, shelters/safe rooms, and emergency alert systems. Many of the goals involve multiple agency cooperation.

Some of the goals could find their way into the Decorah Schools budget eventually, depending on direct need for the District. Others would involve multiple agency funding, likely needing funding via FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). One of the key points to signing off on the plan is that FEMA funding would require grant requests to be part of an official emergency plan such as the Winneshiek County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan.