About the Project

Marion County, Iowa has experienced the impacts from a wide variety of natural and manmade hazards such as tornadoes or high winds, floods, winter storms, chemical releases, agricultural disease, and more. The Marion County Emergency Management Agency has hired JEO Consulting Group to assist in the update of their county-wide Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). The HMP seeks to understand how these hazardous events impact the area in order to identify specific strategies to increase community resilience. 

A hazard mitigation plan is a community-guided document that identifies vulnerability to hazards and mitigation projects to reduce or eliminate this vulnerability. Having an approved and updated plan enables your community to be stronger and more resilient by:

1. Reducing your community’s risk and impacts from disasters,
2. Gaining eligibility for pre- and post-disaster mitigation grants, and
3. Building partnerships within your community and across Dallas County.

Residents, communities, schools, fire departments, hospitals, and other jurisdictions across Marion County are invited to participate in this process by attending meetings and providing information for the plan.

Planning Process and Meetings

The planning process to update the HMP includes several public meetings for participants and interested stakeholders to learn about the plan and provide input.

Kick-off Meeting
The project Kick-off Meeting was held September 19, 2022 at 1:00pm in Knoxville. Representatives from the County Planning Team gathered to discuss the overall scope of the project, roles and responsibilities of the plan participants, general project schedule, and preliminary data for plan development.

Round 1 Meetings
The first meeting or Round 1 Meetings took place on Thursday, November 3rd, 2022. Two meetings were held which covered the same information to allow participants to attend a meeting that best suits their schedule.  The purpose of Round 1 meetings is to review and update key demographic information; evaluate local planning mechanisms which integrate or support hazard mitigation concepts; evaluate and describe critical facilities and infrastructure for each jurisdiction; and discuss local capabilities and vulnerabilities. Meeting information is below: 

• Morning Meeting –  Thursday, November 3rd at 9:00am @ Marion County Public Health Department, 2003 N Lincoln St, Knoxville IA 50138
• Evening Meeting – Thursday, November 3rd at 5:30pm @ Marion County Public Health Department, 2003 N Lincoln St, Knoxville IA 50138

Round 2 Meetings
The second and last meeting for the Hazard Mitigation Plan update took place on Thursday, March 2nd, 2023 at the Marion County Public Health Department in Knoxville. Both an in-person option and virtual option were available. The key purpose of Round 2 meetings was to identify top hazards of concern, and subsequently update and identify mitigation strategies to address those hazards.

Public Review
The draft 2023 Marion County Hazard Mitigation Plan was available for Public Review from Friday, May 26, 2023 to Monday, June 12, 2023. This period provided the last opportunity for local planning teams and interested parties to read, review, and provide any changes or corrections to JEO prior to plan submission to HSEMD and FEMA. 

If a participating entity did not provide any changes, it was assumed that each jurisdiction reviewed the plan and approved of it as written.

2023 Marion County Hazard Mitigation Plan – Approved

The 2023 Marion County Hazard Mitigation Plan has been approved by HSEMD and FEMA. The final approved plan is available to download below.  

Marion County Hazard Mitigation Plan – Upfront and County Profile

Marion County HMP – Community Profiles Chapter – includes profiles for the City of Bussey, City of Harvey, City of Knoxville, City of Melcher-Dallas, City of Pella, and City of Pleasantville. 

Marion County HMP – Schools Profiles Chapter – includes profiles for Knoxville Community Schools, Melcher-Dallas Community School, Pella Christian Schools, Pella Community Schools, and Twin Cedars Community Schools.