1/22/26
Effingham County to Update Plan to Mitigate Natural and Man-Made Events
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 20, 2026
Contact: Pamela Jacobs 217-540-1669
Effingham County to Update Plan to Mitigate Natural and Man-Made Events
Effingham, IL— Effingham County will update its plan to reduce the damages caused by severe weather such as tornadoes, snow and ice storms, thunderstorms, and floods among other events. The plan is called an All Hazards Mitigation Plan and the process to update it will be funded through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“The Plan describes the natural and man-made hazard events that have impacted the County and identifies activities and projects to reduce the risk to residents, property, and infrastructure”, said Effingham County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator, Pamela Jacobs. “By having an updated hazard mitigation plan, the County and participating jurisdictions will remain or become eligible for federal funds, as available, to implement these projects.” she added.
The Effingham County Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee will hold its first meeting on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 1 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Effingham County Emergency Operations Center, 311 West Miracle Ave., in Effingham. The meeting is open to the public.
The Planning Committee includes County, township, municipal, school, fire protection district, EMS, utility, and health care representatives, as well as technical partners and other stakeholders. Meetings of this committee will be conducted over the next year as working sessions so that any interested residents can attend and ask questions. The purpose of these working sessions is to gather and discuss information that will be used to update the Plan.
“This mitigation plan is different from our County’s emergency response plan because it focuses on ways to reduce and prevent damages before they occur,” added Jacobs.
