Douglas County publishes draft 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan; March 5 public meeting

Douglas County’s website posted a draft of the 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan on February 23, 2026, and invited public review ahead of a March 5 public meeting, with an online comment period set for March 5 through April 6, 2026. The county site says the plan “addresses the risks posed to our community by hazards like wildfires, flood and drought, and identifies specific strategies to help reduce or eliminate those risks.”

A Douglas County Emergency Management press release described the HMP as “a comprehensive five-year strategy to reduce the impacts of natural and man-made disasters on our community’s people, property, and environment.” That same press release notes the update “fulfills Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements, which mandate that local governments maintain an up-to-date Hazard Mitigation Plan to remain eligible for critical mitigation grant funding,” and adds that the county expanded the plan’s scope to include man-made and technological hazards. The release lists key objectives including Risk Identification and Assessment, Strategic Action Planning, and Funding and Resource Allocation, and gives a contact of dcem@douglasnv.us for more information.

County staff say the draft incorporates community input from an October 2025 open house. The Douglas County page states, “This effort has been informed by community input, including an open house held in October 2025, where residents shared local knowledge and firsthand experiences with hazards,” and says county staff “identified updates and actions needed to better address community risks in the Plan.”

The county’s public-notice language contains mixed wording about the March 5 meeting format. The headline on the county page reads, “Draft 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan is open for public review online or in-person at our March 5 public meeting,” while the body text simultaneously instructs that “Residents are invited to join Douglas County for a virtual public meeting to learn more about the draft plan and share their feedback.” The page also states, “Can’t make the public meeting? Residents can also review and comment on the draft plan online, March 5 through April 6.”

Separate postings show other Douglas County jurisdictions also conducting HMP activity. An archived Douglas County, Washington, kickoff notice lists a January 16, 2026, Hazard Mitigation Plan Update meeting from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Douglas County Public Services Building, 140 19th Street NW, East Wenatchee, WA 98802, held in collaboration with Anchor QEA and available in person or via Zoom. An Experience ArcGIS status reads, “The 2026 Douglas County Hazard Mitigation Plan is currently in the development phase. Check back in for more updates!” An Instagram snippet adds, “The LHMP Update is scheduled to be finalized and submitted to Cal OES and FEMA in March 2026.”

Public-safety notices tied to the broader feed include a separate county notice that states, “By order of Sheriff Darren Weekly, Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in place for unincorporated areas of Douglas County. Ordinance No. O-012-004 restricts open fires, open burning and the use of fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County.” The snippet does not specify an effective date or the state for that ordinance in the provided text.

Douglas County’s draft HMP and the March 5 meeting mark the formal public-review step before the county seeks to keep mitigation grant eligibility intact; as the Emergency Management release puts it, “By meeting FEMA’s standards, Douglas County remains positioned to apply for grants that support a variety of mitigation initiatives.” The county page and press release provide the public comment window and an email contact (dcem@douglasnv.us) for further information as the plan moves toward finalization and potential submission to federal and state agencies.