VPC is developing municipal Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) for each of the 13 municipalities in New Castle County, Delaware. Municipalities in New Castle County range from large commercial or university-based cities, such as Wilmington and Newark respectively, to smaller rural communities such as the Ardens and Newport. A review and gap analysis of the County COOP Plan as part of this project will ensure both vertical and horizontal integration across all plans. The COOPs will assist the municipalities to maintain or recover their ability to provide essential services to customers after an interruption event, and to fulfill their responsibilities to partners, employees, and to the public.

VPC kicks off the Man-Made Hazards Mitigation Plan (MMHMP) for Howard County, Maryland this week. The MMHMP will serve as an annex to the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan developed by VPC in 2018. The annex will identify 15 man-made hazards, including events such as dam failure and civil unrest, and will rank these hazards based on specific criteria such as: speed of onset, geographic area affected, and duration. Additionally, VPC will develop mitigation actions to reduce the potential effects that these kinds of hazards could have on the County’s residents, infrastructure, and resources.