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AUBURN, Mass. – The Board of Selectmen has adopted a Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Plan that gives Auburn access to potential federal funding for prevention projects. The plan was written by the 40-community Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission at no cost to Auburn.
Auburn Emergency Management Director Roger Belhumeur recommended the selectmen approve the policy to "add it to our toolbox to be used for the mitigation of a disaster in the Town of Auburn.”
The plan says that while there are "no FEMA-identified repetitive loss structures for the Town of Auburn ... there are several critical facilities located within the 100-year flood plain, including a water treatment plant, fire station and offices of emergency management, library and Camp Gleason."
“The combined value of facilities in the 100-year flood zone represent well over $7,000,000," the plan states. "Auburn also has several high hazard dams, including the Eddy Pond and Auburn Pond Dams, which were deemed ‘critical’ by the Office of Dam Safety in 2010.”
Town Planner Adam Burney said the plan “makes general recommendations on how each community might prevent the loss of life or property from natural disaster.” Burney said a list of the recommendations was not immediately available.
Adoption of the plan gives Auburn access to potential federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to carry out future projects to prevent hazardous situations, Burney said.
In addition to Auburn, communities included in the plan are: Barre, Berlin, Blackstone, Boylston, Brookfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Grafton, Hardwick, Holden, Hopedale, Leicester, Mendon, Millbury, Millville, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northborough, Northbridge, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Westborough and Worcester.
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