12/16/2025
Nicollet County Press Release: December 15, 2025
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ณ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง
Nicollet County has completed an updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is now seeking public feedback.
Like all Minnesota counties, Nicollet County is vulnerable to a variety of natural hazards such as tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought, and extreme temperatures, which can threaten the loss of life and property in the county. Planning for natural disasters minimizes the impact of events that can cause vast economic loss and personal hardship.
All county residents, interested agency or organizational stakeholders are encouraged to review and offer feedback on the draft plan and proposed local mitigation actions. The review and comment period is open for a period of 15 days through December 29, 2025. The public can access the plan using the following links:
Nicollet County HMP Website Homepage: https://nicollet-county-hmp-umn.hub.arcgis.com/
Nicollet County Mitigation Action Charts: https://nicollet-county-hmp-umn.hub.arcgis.com/pages/nicollet-goals-implementation
The Nicollet County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Nicollet County, including all cities and townships within the county. The Nicollet County HMP also incorporates the concerns and needs of other key stakeholders, such as school districts and related agencies, organizations, or businesses participating in the planning process.
Update of the plan has been under the direction of Nicollet County Emergency Management in cooperation with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from county departments, city and township governments, and other participating stakeholders. Together, the planning team identified cost-effective and sustainable actions to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life or property from natural hazards. Examples include infrastructure projects for areas that experience repetitive flooding; construction of safe rooms in areas where residents and visitors are vulnerable to tornadoes and severe storm events; burying powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice, or wind storms; ensuring timely emergency communication to the public through warning sirens and mass notification systems; and conducting outreach to increase public awareness of severe weather and personal preparedness.
Hazard mitigation planning helps Nicollet County and other jurisdictions protect their residents. Working with local communities through the process helps identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies to reduce or eliminate the effects of a potential hazard. In addition, increasing public awareness of natural disasters and encouraging personal preparedness help create a community that is resilient to disasters and breaks the cycle of response and recovery. Updating the plan further allows Nicollet County and its jurisdictions to be eligible to apply for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program funding for projects that help to reduce or eliminate the impacts of future natural hazard events.
Community feedback is vital to the success of the plan. Nicollet County invites public review and feedback of the draft plan prior to submitting it to the State of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for review.
Comments, concerns, or questions regarding the draft plan or ideas for mitigation projects should be submitted either via the Hazard Mitigation Plan website's online public feedback form or by contacting Nicollet County Emergency Management:
Justin Block
Nicollet County Emergency Management Director
507-934-7874
[email protected]
https://www.co.nicollet.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/9465/12-15-25-Nicollet-County-News-Release-HMP-Public-Review
