Changing Weather Conditions – We Want to Hear from You, Submitted by the Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee

Warming trends are altering our weather patterns, creating unstable conditions that send us more severe storm events that challenge us as a community.  The Town of Peru has received grant funding to learn about our changing weather and develop a Natural Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan.  As part of this project, we want Peru residents to share with us their experiences of surviving past severe storm events in Peru.  Please fill out a short survey for us!  This online survey will only take a few minutes and can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PeruHM.  Paper copies of the survey can be found at Peru Town Hall and the Transfer Station.  Your answers about past and recent storm occurrences will help us document storm events that have impacted Peru residents. 

Hazard mitigation is a term that describes an action taken to reduce the harm that natural disasters have on people and property – it is the up-front work to mitigate or reduce the impacts of a disaster when it strikes.  The mitigation is pro-active, rather than reactive, and is an action taken to solve a problem on a permanent, long-term basis.  Examples of hazard actions that some Berkshire towns have taken to protect infrastructure or government operations include:

Replacing undersized culverts with larger ones to reduce the risk of flooding or road washouts

Improving or reconstructing gravel roads to better handle multiple freeze-thaw cycles (mud seasons) that are already occurring more often

Upgrading road drainage systems to handle higher volumes of road runoff during severe storms

Moving critical records and communication systems out of the basement to higher, less flood-prone floors

Expanding emergency communication systems to alert people of impending storms or disasters

The Peru Hazard Mitigation Plan will lay out a strategy to help the Town lessen the impacts that natural disasters and changing weather patterns are predicted to have on residents and the natural world.  As part of our work, the project will:

Gather and assess the best scientific data that is relevant to Peru and the Berkshires

Identify the strengths within the Town to meet and adapt to the challenges ahead

Identify the weaknesses within the Town that hold us back from adapting to the challenges

Prioritize realistic action steps that can be taken to create a more resilient community

If you have stories or photographs that might be informative, please contact the Town’s consultant, Lauren Gaherty at lauren@berkshireplanning.org or the Town Administrator at townadmin@townofperuma.com .  Updates of the project will be posted on the Town website and Facebook pages.  A public presentation on the findings of the project will be given in May – keep your eyes open for the announcement!