THOSE WHO WITNESSED THE AFTERMATH of Hurricane Irene would no doubt readily agree to the importance of having a disaster plan for the Town of Hawley. While such a plan was in place when that mega-storm hit in 2011, it was clear after the tumult subsided that a more detailed plan would have been helpful.
A special committee — the Hazard Mitigation Plan Renewal Committee — is currently working on such a detailed plan for the Town. This project involves the renewal of a version that was put in place in 2014. This current update must be completed by June, 2020.
The next meeting of the Renewal Committee has been set for Friday, March 8 at 12:00 pm at the Hawley Town Office.
This effort is being made under the auspices of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Successful completion of the plan by the deadline will continue the Town’s eligibility for funding for certain projects.
The Hazard Mitigation Plan Renewal Committee will be focusing on three areas of priority:
► Flooding;
► Severe winter weather; and,
► Infrastructure challenges (transportation and communication).
Hawley residents and Town employees serving on the Hazard Mitigation Plan Renewal Committee include:
| NAME | TITLE |
| Gregory Cox | Emergency Management Director & Fire Chief |
| Lloyd Crawford | Conservation Commission Chair |
| Virginia Gabert | Financial Administrator |
| Hussain Hamdan | Selectboard Chair |
| Gary Mitchell | Highway Superintendent |
| Cass Nawrocki | Administrative Assistant |
| Sally Rich | Selectboard Member |
| Robert Root | Selectboard Member |
The Committee will review the 2014 Plan to identify any shortfalls and update it accordingly. Throughout the process, the group will hold at least three meetings and will seek resident input and involvement.
