Northern Nevada is at risk for 13 identified natural and man-made disasters, and local governments work hard to plan for those disasters and practice ways to mitigate the damage.
The Washoe region is currently reviewing and updating its Hazard Mitigation Plan and is seeking the public’s assistance to ensure that the perspectives, needs and ideas of all its residents are considered in the plan. Please take this short survey by June 1.
Washoe County, City of Reno, City of Sparks, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservations, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Truckee River Flood Management Authority, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection Plan all contribute to the Hazard Mitigation Plan to reduce the negative effects of the following disasters:
- Wildland fire
- Flooding (including closed‐basin flooding)
- Earthquake
- Energy emergency
- Terrorism and Crime
- Severe storms (including winter storm and windstorm)
- Hazardous materials incident
- Drought
- Infectious disease
- Avalanche and landslide
- Transportation incident (including aircraft crash)
- Radiological waste transport
- Volcano
Disasters may not be avoidable, but hazard mitigation involves actions that entities and individuals can take to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to life and property. These actions can include building defensible space around one’s house to protect against wildfire, or having an evacuation plan in place, staying current on vaccines and healthcare to prevent infectious disease.
You can learn preparation and mitigation tools from the experts at a special open house May 18 at 10 a.m. at the Washoe County Administration Complex, 1001 E. 9th Street, Reno. Local emergency managers will be available to talk about specific hazards that may be a threat to the region.
The current plan can be found here. Take the survey here.
