Lowndes County has released a draft of a hazard mitigation plan that would make county and municipal governments eligible to receive federal money for projects to prevent damage from natural disasters.

The counties of Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Lowndes, Monroe, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster and Winston and all municipalities in those counties are included in the plan in conjunction with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

The document, which includes plans for all the counties, is available at the Lowndes County EMA office in the basement of the county courthouse.

The plan is an effort to reduce long-term natural disaster losses by incorporating hazard mitigation principles and practices into routine government procedure.

According to MEMA, merging the 10 counties’ individual plans into a regional plan helps develop a holistic way of reflecting current conditions of the region as a whole and increases public awareness and education.

Lowndes County’s assessment determines the area to be at high risk for damage from thunderstorm winds, tornadoes, flooding, hailstorms and winter storms and freezing, while being at moderate risk to sustain damage from droughts, heat waves, hurricanes, tropical storms and lightning.

“This plan is important as it relates to us applying for hazard mitigation funds in the future,” Columbus Director of Planning and Community Development Christina Berry said.

Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.