FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2025

Public Comment Sought for Rice County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan

Rice County has completed an updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is now
seeking public feedback.

Like all Minnesota counties, Rice 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 4, 2025. The public can
access the plan using the following links:

Rice County HMP Website Homepage
Rice County Mitigation Action 

The Rice County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Rice County, including all cities
and townships within the county. The Rice 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 direction of Rice 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 worked to identify 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 Rice 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 helps to create a
community that is resilient to disaster, and breaks the cycle of response and recovery. Updating
the plan further allows Rice 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. Rice 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 online public feedback form or by
contacting Rice County Emergency Management.

Contact
Joseph Johnson
Rice County Director of Emergency Management
507-332-6119
joseph.johnson@ricecountymn.gov