Is Kendall County prepared for severe weather? Officials working to update All Hazards Mitigation Plan

The frequency of and damage caused by severe storms and other natural and man-made hazards in Kendall County will be the topic for discussion when the Kendall County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee meets at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, at the at Oswego Fire Protection District Station 1, 3511 Woolley Road, Oswego.

The committee, comprised of county, township, municipal, education, fire protection district, park district and health care representatives, as well as technical partners and other stakeholders, will meet over the next several months to update the Kendall County All Hazards Mitigation Plan.

All committee meetings are open to the public.

”The goal of this committee meeting is to identify how often severe weather events occur within the county and what kinds of damages have resulted. Based on this information we will begin to compile lists of activities and projects to reduce damages caused by these events,” Kendall County Emergency Management Agency Director Roger Bonuchi said in a news release.

”This plan will be our best resource for determining how to reduce damages from storms and other natural and man-made hazards.”

—  Roger Bonuchi, director, Kendall County Emergency Management Agency

The focus of this effort is on natural hazards — severe thunderstorms with damaging winds or hail, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, floods, drought and excessive heat. Interested persons can provide input at these meetings or submit their comments and questions to their appropriate representatives.

Participants to date include Kendall County, Lisbon, Montgomery, Newark, Oswego, Plainfield, Plano, Plattville, Sandwich and Yorkville, as well as Big Grove Township, Bristol Township, Kendall Township, Grundy/Kendall ROE, Bristol-Kendall Fire Protection District (FPD), Little Rock-Fox FPD, Newark FPD, Oswego FPD, Sandwich Community FPD, Edith Farnsworth House, Kendall County Forest Preserve District, Oswegoland Park District and Kendall-Grundy Farm Bureau. Jurisdictions who have yet to participate in a committee meeting are encouraged to attend.

”This plan will be our best resource for determining how to reduce damages from storms and other natural and man-made hazards. After the plan is updated, comprehensive information will be available in one document to help guide those who are making decisions about how to better protect Kendall County residents,” Bonuchi said.