OSWEGO – The Oswego County Emergency Management Office has partnered with many local municipalities and agencies to establish a comprehensive hazard mitigation plan.

These groups include SUNY Oswego, the Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Oswego County Fair Association, the North Shore Council of Governments, the Oswego County Fire Advisory Board, and many area fire departments.

To facilitate the planning process, the county has been divided into three geographic areas. The Northern Work Group includes the towns of Albion, Boylston, Orwell, Redfield, Richland, Sandy Creek and Williamstown along with the villages of Altmar, Lacona, Pulaski and Sandy Creek. The Central Work Group consists of the towns of Amboy, Constantia, Hastings, Mexico, New Haven, Parish and West Monroe as well as the villages of Central Square, Cleveland, Mexico and Parish. The Southern Work Group includes the towns of Granby, Hannibal, Oswego, Scriba and Volney along with the village of Hannibal and the cities of Fulton and Oswego.

Other collaborators include the New York State Emergency Management Office and consultants Barton & Loguidice, P.C.

“Earlier this year, Oswego County was awarded a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create a hazard mitigation plan,” said Legislator Paul Santore, District 16, chairman of the Oswego County Legislature’s Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee. “We recently held our second round of planning sessions with each of the regional groups. The participants are finding that the process is much smoother with input from multiple jurisdictions.”

Establishing a hazard mitigation plan allows the county and participating municipalities to be eligible for future funding from FEMA.