Blog: City Blog

Officials Want Your Input for Hazard Mitigation Plan

Hazards can take many forms. Destruction and danger can come from any direction, caused by tornadoes, or heavy rain, or drought.

What's the best defense? Community-wide disaster preparedness.

At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, the City of Knoxville, Knox County and the Town of Farragut will host a meeting to discuss updates to the Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. The in-person meeting will be held at the City's Public Works Service Center, 3131 Morris Ave.

The meeting aims to empower community members and raise awareness about potential risks as part of the initial planning process. Community members are also invited to take part in a public survey to share insights on hazard concerns and preparedness.

The regional Hazard Mitigation Plan is being updated by the three governments in collaboration with WSP Engineering. Having these plans in place and updated is important, because communities are eligible to apply for federal Hazard Mitigation Grants and to access federal disaster relief funds allocated to the state of Tennessee for natural disaster mitigation.

In the coming weeks, the partners will be updating the 5-year plan, identifying common natural disaster risks and vulnerabilities, and developing long-term strategies to protect people and property.

As terrifying as natural disasters can be, Knoxville residents are not entirely at the mercy of Mother Nature. One great example: The City for years has been taking steps to decrease and manage flooding while building climate resiliency.

Workers prepare to reline a pipe along Walfred Drive, extending its lifespan by decades. But a section of the pipe was so degraded that that part of the pipe had to be completely replaced.

Cutline: Workers prepare to reline a pipe along Walfred Drive, extending its lifespan by decades. But a section of the pipe was so degraded that that part of the pipe had to be completely replaced.

Four years ago, those effective, proactive engineering efforts were rewarded with a best-in-Tennessee flood management rating. Knoxville's top rating resulted in a 20 percent discount in residents' flood insurance rates.

"Flooding has been a hazard that Knoxville residents and City engineers have confronted together," City Stormwater Engineering Chief David McGinley said. "Over the past decade, the City has invested $9 million to fix the worst flood-prone areas, like Cross Park Drive, Prosser Road, Westland Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

"Currently, with the help of federal American Rescue Act funds, we're committing another $2 million this year to redesign or repair stormwater infrastructure to manage and reduce flooding at Bluegrass Lake/Northshore Drive, on Cherry Street and Baum Drive, and at Chilhowee Park. Construction money will follow once the design work is finished."

For more details about stormwater infrastructure upgrades and flooding remediation, click HERE.

If you can't attend Wednesday's Hazard Mitigation Plan meeting in person, no problem!

Click HERE for a virtual meeting link.

And to participate in a public survey, click HERE.

Posted by evreeland On 14 November, 2023 at 3:13 PM