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Wicomico County Hazard Mitigation & Resilience Plan Overview

The Hazard Mitigation & Resilience Plan forms the foundation for Wicomico County and its municipality’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. The purpose of this plan is to identify, plan, and implement cost-effective hazard mitigation measures through a comprehensive approach known as hazard mitigation planning. The 2022 plan is an update to the 2016 Wicomico County Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires hazard mitigation plans to be updated every five years.

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Every 5 years, the Hazard Mitigation & Resilience Plan goes through a review process with those who live and/or work in Wicomico County. We anticipate forming a committee in mid-2025.  

If you are interested in serving on the Hazard Mitigation & Resilience Planning Committee, please contact the Wicomico County Department of Emergency Services at 410-548-4820 or wcesalert@wicomicocounty.org

Plan Overview
Get Involved

Get Involved

The Wicomico County Hazard Mitigation & Resilience Plan is a project that aims to ensure the County is prepared for various hazards. The Department of Emergency Services is placing special emphasis on understanding citizens' concerns regarding hazards. Community input is incredibly valuable.

 Please take our 2024 Wicomico County Hazard Survey. This survey is a follow up to the survey conducted in 2021. We are seeking to understand your perspective on hazards and changes overtime, if any. 

The survey consists of 9 questions and will take an average of 4 minutes or less to complete. Please click below to participate!

Kickoff Meeting Notes

January 21, 2021

Click below for meeting notes.

Hazard Risk Meeting Notes

March 25, 2021

Click below for meeting notes.

Mitigation Strategy Meeting Notes

October 28, 2021

Click below for meeting notes.

Current & Potential Hazards

Current &  Potential Hazards

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Coastal Storms

Coastal Storms include  hurricanes, tropical storm, and tropical depressions.  The most common coastal storms that impact Wicomico County are Category One Hurricanes and Tropical Storms. The three probable hazard  impacts from coastal storms are hurricane wind, coastal flooding and storm surge.

Prevention & Adaptation

Strategies to mitigate or reduce specific hazard risks are developed during the hazard mitigation plan update process and may vary from very simple to complex. Typically hazard mitigation strategies are classified into six broad categories.  Below are the six (6) categories used for hazard prevention and adaptation.

Prevention

Government administrative or regulatory actions or processes that influence the way land and buildings are developed and built. These actions also include public activities to reduce hazard losses. Examples include planning and zoning, building codes, capital improvement programs, open space preservation, and storm water management regulations.

Public Education & Awareness

Actions to inform and educate citizens, elected officials, and property owners about potential ways to mitigate for hazards that can occur in the County. Such actions include outreach programs, projects, real estate disclosure, hazard information centers, and school-age and adult education programs.

Emergency Services

Actions that protect people and property during and immediately after a disaster or hazard event. Services include warning systems and emergency response services.

Property Protection

Actions that involve the modification of existing critical and public facilities, buildings, structures, and public infrastructure to protect them from hazards. Examples include acquisition, elevation, relocation, structural retrofits, storm shutters, and infrastructure modification.

Natural Resource Protection

Actions that, in addition to minimizing hazard losses also preserve or restore the functions of natural protection systems. These actions include sediment and erosion control, stream corridor restoration, watershed management, forest and vegetation management, and wetland restoration preservation.

Structural Projects

Actions that involve the construction of structures to reduce the impact of a hazard event. Such structures include dams, levees, floodwalls, seawalls, retaining walls, barrier islands, and safe rooms.

Maryland Historical Trust:
Cultural Resources Hazard Mitigation Planning Program

The Architectural Survey Form for Hazard Mitigation Planning, developed by the Maryland Historical Trust, was created to help communities to conduct a risk assessment for historic structures that are important to the community and vulnerable to flooding. 

The Maryland Historic Trust also promotes a planning framework based on FEMA's hazard mitigation planning for historic and cultural resources. To learn about integrating historic and cultural resources, please click below to review FEMA's guide. 

To learn more about protecting historic places, archeological sites, and cultural landscapes, please visit Maryland Historic Trust's Cultural Resources Hazard Mitigation Planning Program site.

Prevention
Additional Resources

Additional Resources

Your input is welcomed and valued.  Provide your information to the right to get involved. 

Thanks for submitting!

Wicomico County Department of Emergency Services Website

The Department of Emergency Services website provides an abundance of information on emergency preparedness topics such as:

          Find out how to register to get emergency notifications sent to a cell phone.

          Gain access to information on a wide variety of emergency preparedness topics.

          Fill out and submit the survey so the department is aware of any special needs you may have                        during an emergency.

          Check out some insurance resources for when a disaster strikes.

          Know where the available shelters are in your area.

          Obtain emergency preparedness information in Spanish and other languages.

Know Your Flood Risk

To determine if your property is at risk, please visit Wicomico County's Department of Planning and Zoning:

 

125 N. Division St.
Room 201
P.O. Box 870
Salisbury, MD 21803
Phone : 410-548-4860

For the website, click here:  
 

 

If individual assistance is needed, please contact:

Marilyn Williams 

Phone: 410-548-4810

Email: mwilliams@wicomicocounty.org  

For additional information and resources, visit Wicomico County's Planning and Zoning Floodplain website here.

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Know your property’s flood risk. To find your community’s flood map, visit the Flood Risk Applications (below) and search using your property’s address.

Take steps to protect your home, family, and financial security throughout the year, and take extra precautions when flooding is predicted in your area.

The best way to protect your home and belongings from flood damage is to purchase flood insurance – don’t let your hard work be washed away.

Here are a few steps you and your family can take to be ready for flooding:

  • Get flood insurance.

  • Know your flood risk.

  • Take a household inventory.

  • Store important documents.

What to do Before a Flood

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Additional Ways to Protect Your Home

Protecting Manufactured Homes from Floods and Other Hazards

Resources for policyholders living in manufactured (mobile) home

Protecting Building Utilities from Flood Damage

Information on protecting critical utilities, like water heaters and HVAC systems, from flood damage.

Reducing Flood Risk to Residential Buildings that Cannot be Elevated

Mitigation options for homes that cannot be elevated.

NWS Baltimore/Washington En Español

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES)

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) offers community learning through online seminars. UMCES offers opportunities to engage with our expert faculty online through these free public seminars. To register, click here.

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