Hazard Mitigation Plans, submitted and approved by FEMA, help states, counties, and municipalities identify vulnerable areas and populations that are particularly susceptible to severe impacts from hazards. By completing a Hazard Mitigation Plan, and regularly updating it, states, counties, and municipalities become eligible for funding for certain non-emergency disaster assistance and mitigation projects. This funding can be used to address previously developed mitigation strategies during the Hazard Mitigation Plan process. 

Lincoln County has had a Hazard Mitigation Plan since 2016 and has completed a plan update every 5 years since the original plan was created. This has prompted Lincoln County towns and government to have regular conversations about the hazards, impacts, and mitigation plans each of our 19 towns experience. With the funding available to Lincoln County and its towns due to a consistently active Hazard Mitigation Plan, many municipalities have taken advantage of this increased funding to start, and complete, hazard mitigation projects before an emergency or disaster. 

2026 HMP Update: Lincoln County EMA and Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission (LCRPC) have been working with Local Emergency Managers and municipal officials in completing a variety of tasks since the Spring of 2025. Stakeholders have been asked to identify hazards in their community and mitigation efforts that could be taken or are planning to occur.