Weld County is asking its residents to share their concerns about various types of disasters — including floods, drought and public health hazards.

“We need residents to complete this short survey to see what types of hazards they feel the county should focus on in the plan,” said Weld County Board Chair Mike Freeman, referring to forthcoming updates for the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. “Having public involvement in the planning process increases public awareness and understanding of the vulnerabilities facing Weld County.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency must approve an updated plan every five years to maintain Weld’s eligibility for various types of disaster assistance. The county estimates the public will be able to view the plan in November. The four phases of emergency management, according to the county, are mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Among other questions, the survey asks residents how many times a natural disaster has affected them in the last five years, if they have taken risks to mitigate hazards to their homes or businesses, and “[i]f you had the resources today, what hazard would you personally mitigate against?”

As of Wednesday, the most immediate hazard, COVID-19, was present in Weld County at a rate of 1,230 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, higher than many jurisdictions in the Denver metro area.