LAPLACE — Local residents are asked to provide input as St. John the Baptist Parish updates its hazard mitigation plan.

Parish leaders are holding a public meeting next week to incorporate comments into the plan.

The public meeting is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the St. John the Baptist Council Chambers, located inside the Percy Hebert Government Building at 1801 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace.

Natural hazards have the potential to cause property loss, loss of life, economic hardship and threats to public health and safety.

While an important aspect of emergency management deals with disaster recovery (the actions that a community takes to repair damages), parish leaders say an equally important aspect of emergency management involves hazard mitigation — sustained actions taken to reduce long-term risk to life and property.

A hazard mitigation plan describes an area’s vulnerability to the various natural hazards that are typically present, along with an array of actions and projects for reducing key risks.

Hazard mitigation actions are essential to breaking the typical disaster cycle of damage, reconstruction and repeated damage.

Residents are also encouraged to participate in a survey about public perceptions and opinions regarding natural hazards in the parish. The survey results will be used in the development of the plan.

This short web-based survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/StJohnHMP.

For more information, call 985-652-2222.