In an exercise that is required every five years, Luzerne County is reassessing natural and man-made threats to residents and possible ways to reduce the risks.
This hazard mitigation plan will fill hundreds of pages with charts and maps and come before county council for approval later this year.
County Emergency Services Director Lucille Morgan said Wednesday the task is bleak but necessary.
“It’s hard to respond to a disaster when it’s happening if you don’t have plan, a team and the right equipment in place. It’s really good to think ahead,” Morgan said, citing the department’s mantra to plan and train on a sunny day.
Council had voted in September to retain Michael Baker International Inc. to update the plan. The Philadelphia-based company prepared the current 2020 plan posted, which is posted under the planning department section at luzernecounty.org.
Each hazard must be documented to include past occurrences and a vulnerability assessment.
The general hazards in the current plan: drought and crop failure; earthquakes; flooding and ice jams; hailstorms; hurricanes, tropical storms and Nor’easters; landslides; pandemics and infectious disease; radon exposure; mine subsidence and sinkholes; tornadoes and windstorms; wildfires; winter storms; cyber-terrorism; levee and dam failure; hazardous materials releases; a nuclear incident; and opioid addiction.
Morgan said a county steering committee is working with municipalities to ensure all hazards are documented and ranked.
“In this new update, we’ll be able to see if anything got better or worse,” she said.
There will be a more in-depth review of mine subsidence due to recent incidents, Morgan said. That included a massive sinkhole that formed in Toby Creek in Luzerne last year and a 2023 subsidence measuring 70 feet that opened behind a Newport Township apartment complex.
Morgan also expects to place more emphasis on cybersecurity, which has been a priority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and county information technology department.
Based on discussion to date, the new report will also address risks facing the homeless and others in the “under-served population,” she said.
While the opioid crisis remains a concern, the number of deaths has declined, Morgan noted.
County Coroner Jillian Matthews said Wednesday there were 87 drug overdose deaths in the county in 2024, with the confirmation of two additional cases pending toxicology test results. In comparison, there were 145 drug overdose deaths in 2023. These statistics cover all drugs, not only opioids.
“I think they made some inroads with that, so that might get a lower priority rating in the new plan,” Morgan said.
The hazard plan steering committee held two meetings to date, Morgan said. A public meeting will also be held March 10 to present data and seek comment, with the time and location to be announced as it nears.
Approximately 20 municipalities have participated in the planning process so far, and the county is encouraging more to get involved to ensure no hazard is missed, Morgan said. The mitigation plan is required for county municipalities to remain eligible for some grants. Hazards must be identified in the report to qualify for funding to address them, she said.
The county received a FEMA grant to cover $75,000 of the county’s consulting expenses.
Although Morgan said she wants this plan to be the most comprehensive to date, the unforeseen is always possible. She recalled a runaway unmanned military surveillance blimp that broke loose from its ground tether in Maryland and eventually came down near Muncy in 2015.
“We never expected a balloon with a long tether, but we try to plan as best as we can,” Morgan said. “You can’t prepare for everything.”