St. Louis County Seeks Public Input for 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

St. Louis County’s Office of Emergency Management has launched an update to the county Hazard Mitigation Plan and is inviting public feedback as it works with U‑Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The work is funded by a grant from Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management, according to county materials released Feb. 5, 2026.

The plan update targets a range of natural hazards that affect county residents, including flooding, tornadoes, windstorms, winter storms, extreme temperatures, wildfire and drought. County communications highlight mitigation actions such as public outreach on severe weather, improving stormwater systems, removing buildings from flood-prone areas, increasing defensible space in wildfire zones, building tornado safe rooms and burying powerlines as examples of measures that reduce long-term damage.

Josh Brinkman, identified in county coverage as St. Louis County Emergency Management Coordinator, summarized the intent of the work: “Hazard mitigation planning is a central part of our emergency management program,” said Josh Brinkman. “Understanding the natural hazards that can cause serious impact to our communities and taking action to reduce or eliminate the impact of future disasters makes us more resilient. Hazard mitigation helps us break the cycle of damage and repair caused by things like flooding, ice storms and severe wind events that can damage property, stress economies and threaten life safety in our county.”

Residents may provide feedback through an online HMP public feedback form or by contacting St. Louis County Emergency Management. The county’s public notice lists Dewey Johnson as St. Louis County Emergency Management Coordinator with phone 218-726-2936 and email johnsond@stlouiscountymn.gov for comments, concerns or questions to be included in the plan update process. Historical materials also list Duane Johnson as Emergency Management Coordinator with the same phone number; the county has used multiple contact names across documents. The county says a draft of the plan will be posted on the County website for public review prior to submission to the State of Minnesota and that there will be additional opportunities for public feedback during the update, with future news releases to announce them.

Regional engagement work from EW Gateway offers a practical model and a caution. EW Gateway noted that “A frequent concern in these plan updates is the lack of public input. Few, if any, members of the public want to come to public open houses or meetings to share their concerns or ideas.” In a 2019 regional effort, EW Gateway deployed “a simple, 10-question, mobile-friendly survey” between April 9 and July 15, 2019, and received 80 responses; it also used open houses, rack cards and community networks to reach residents. EW Gateway maintains a contact line for input at hazardmit@ewgateway.org and 314-421-4220.

Local residents who have experienced recent flooding should note the visibility of those risks: a published image caption names Mall Drive and Decker Road as locations affected by flooding. Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC public file for related media coverage was directed to Vicki Kaping at vkaping@wdio.com or (218) 727-6864.

What this means for St. Louis County residents is straightforward: this update will influence which projects get prioritized for funding and construction, from stormwater repairs to safe-room grants, and public input is part of the federal and state plan maintenance process. Watch for the draft posting on the county website, submit comments through the online feedback form or by contacting Emergency Management, and expect additional opportunities to shape mitigation actions that can reduce damage and recovery costs in future storms.