The Christian County Emergency Management Agency is set to take the first step in updating its All Hazards Mitigation Plan.  Today at 2 p.m. at the Taylorville Fire Station, officials from the CCEMA and dozens of other agencies in the county will convene to begin the process.  The meeting is open to the public, as well.  A grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is funding this effort.  This will be the first time the document is updated in six years, and officials hope to cover a wide variety of emergency situations. 

Jeff Stoner, director of the Christian County Emergency Management Agency, is leading the charge in this process.  He says the purpose is for agencies and their staff to know exactly what to do in any emergency to keep people and property safe.

Over 40 agencies are expected to be part of the document-writing process.  For the previous edition of the plan, only 11 agencies were involved.  Stoner values their input but expects it to lengthen the process.

The All Hazards Mitigation Plan will cover weather events like severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, along with other commonly overlooked situations like disease outbreaks.

A third-party company is assisting the CCEMA with the legal particulars.  Stoner says his role is to ensure the right people are in the room at the right times. 

The Christian County Board would have to vote to approve the plan for it to go into effect.  The process is expected to take around a year before a final draft reaches the Board.

More information on the Christian County Emergency Management Agency is available on their Facebook page.

Jeff Stoner appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.