Carbon County is continuing the process of updating its federally required hazard mitigation plan, commissioners announced Thursday.

A public meeting is schedule for Wednesday as the county works to ensure its communities remain eligible for disaster funding from state and federal agencies.

The updated plan will serve as the county’s formal blueprint for reducing risk from natural and man-made disasters and is a prerequisite for accessing pre- and post-disaster grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Under federal law, counties must update their plans every five years.

Without an approved plan in place, the county and any municipalities that have adopted it would lose eligibility for significant federal mitigation funding — the type of money used for projects like acquiring and demolishing flood-risk homes, the most common mitigation action in Pennsylvania.

Commissioners also approved a $63,000 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program agreement with PEMA at Thursday’s meeting, with a performance period running through Aug. 1, 2029.

The meeting Wednesday, set for 5 p.m. at 44 Susquehanna St., in Jim Thorpe, gives residents, municipal officials, and other stakeholders an opportunity to weigh in on how the county identifies and prioritizes hazards before the formal plan is drafted. But Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, who recently attended a municipal meeting to rate and rank the vulnerability of various hazards across the county, said turnout was deeply disappointing.

“Unfortunately, very poor turnout to grade and rate the vulnerability of different hazards in Carbon County,” Nothstein said, citing fire, flooding, cyber attacks and other potential threats as examples of what was on the table.

The distinction between a countywide rating and a local one matters, he explained. A hazard rated four out of five at the county level might be rated only one in a specific township or borough — meaning municipalities that skip the process could end up with ratings that don’t reflect their actual conditions.

“The letters went out to the municipalities, and I think they should be very serious at looking at the rating of their communities, their township or borough, and rating appropriately and planning appropriately for those types of hazards, no matter what they are,” Nothstein said.

He said the stakes are real for communities that don’t engage.

“After a disaster hits, don’t come looking for help if you aren’t going to prepare yourself for those incidents that may occur in your municipality,” Nothstein said. “I would strongly encourage the public to attend the public hearing on Aug. 26 at 5 p.m.”

Commissioner Michael Sofranko echoed the call for participation, noting the practical stakes for communities that opt out.

“This is one of those things where people think they don’t need to worry about it until they need it,” Sofranko said. “And then it’s too late.”