PORT TOWNSEND –Jefferson County commissioners approved a plan Monday that they say would bring more money to the county in case of a natural disaster.
The city of Port Townsend accepted an identical plan earlier.
The adoption of the Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan now qualifies the county and the city to go after hazard and pre-hazard-mitigation funds.
“We think it’s good that the plan has been accepted so readily by the county and the city,” said public safety analyst Ken Horvath.
“We are still working on providing an umbrella for the special districts that are interested in participating.”
Such special districts include fire and public utility agencies.
The region had national emergency resources available before, but the new status allows access to grants that have less strings attached to complete important public service projects more efficiently, Horvath said.
One example he cited was Port Townsend’s new fire station.
Other potential projects include fortifying the town’s historical bell tower that now is vulnerable to damage from high winds.