Carbon County's five-year hazard mitigation plan is now available for review and comment.

The county commissioners urged residents to take the time to review the 243-page document that outlines ways to reduce property damage and other safety practices in the event of a hazard, as well as helping to secure disaster funding if it is needed and submit comments before the document is formally adopted later this year."We often take emergency services and preparedness for granted," Commissioner William O'Gurek said. "When I looked at the document to review it, I came to have an appreciation for all of the people involved in the planning phases and in the emergency services."This is a blueprint for reducing property damage and saving lives from the effects of future disasters that can happen here," he said. "Being prepared is certainly important, and there are a lot of important things in there. I commend the steering committee and the stakeholders from the communities for their hard work."The hazard mitigation plan, which is created using various state and county agencies, an outside mitigation company and municipality input, is updated every five years.It covers everything from the history and demographics of the county to various types of hazards, how often they have occurred in Carbon and plans to help residents if the hazards occur.Types of hazards identified for Carbon include drought; floods; hailstorms; hurricanes, tropical storms and nor'easters; landslides; wildfire; winter storms; building and structure collapse; dam and levee failures; disorientation when hiking, camping, hunting or fishing; drowning; environmental hazards such as mine fires; nuclear incidents; radon exposure; transportation accidents; and utility interruptions.Each type of hazard is outlined in the plan and includes the definition of the hazard; types; maps showing parts of the county that would be affected in the hazard; history of that hazard happening in Carbon and ways to prepare for future occurrences.For example, the plan outlines floods, stating that they are "the most prevalent type of natural disaster occurring in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is one of the most flood-prone states in the nation."From rural areas to suburban communities, floods (especially flash floods) are a constant concern. Floods, seasonal or flash, have been the cause of millions of dollars in annual property damages, loss of lives and disruption of economic activities. The commonwealth of Pennsylvania leads the nation on flood-related losses. Over 94 percent of Pennsylvania's municipalities have been designated as flood-prone."In Carbon County, there are "seasonal differences" in how floods are caused.The plan states that winter and early spring flooding occurs from heavy rainfall on dense snowpack throughout watersheds and is the result of runoff on frozen ground, while summer floods occur on previously saturated soils that cannot hold any additional heavy rainfalls.According to the plan, the worse-case scenario of a summer flash flood in the county happened on June 20, 2006, when "several days of heavy rain throughout the Lehigh River Basin culminated with flooding along the main stem of the Lehigh River, causing Carbon County to be declared a disaster area. About 130 homes, 15 businesses and 80 bridges, culverts and roads in the county were damaged from the flood. Storm event totals for the county averaged 8 to 15 inches of rainfall."Additional information regarding these hazards, as well as a breakdown of municipality facts are also found in the plan.Residents have until Aug. 10 to view the draft and comment.To access the draft of the Carbon County Hazard Mitigation Plan visit

www.pennsylvaniahmp.com/carbon-hmp.To make comments, which must be submitted in writing either by email or mail, send them to Taryn Murray, mitigation planner, at

tmurray@mbakerintl.com or 1818 Market St., Suite 3110, Philadelphia, PA 19103.