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.
The 2022 Wicomico County Hazard Mitigation & Resilience Plan is available for review.
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.
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!
Current & Potential Hazards
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.
Additional Resources
Your input is welcomed and valued. Provide your information to the right to get involved.
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.
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FLOOD INSURANCE FAQs- Preguntas frecuentes sobre el seguro contra inundaciones
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.
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:
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Get flood insurance.
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Know your flood risk.
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Take a household inventory.
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Store important documents.
What to do Before a Flood
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.