TL;DR: Sherburne County is accepting public comments on its 2026 draft Hazard Mitigation Plan through Nov. 15, 2026, and residents can respond through an online feedback form or by contacting county emergency management.

Sherburne County residents and organizations have until Nov. 15, 2026, to weigh in on the county's updated draft Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Elk River Star News reported on Nov. 12 that the county is asking residents and local organizations to review the draft and submit feedback by that date. A county notice posted Nov. 2 sets the review and comment period at 14 days and closes it on Nov. 15.

Comments can be submitted two ways. The planning website at sherburne-county-hmp-umn.hub.arcgis.com carries a public feedback form at the bottom of the homepage, and a second form is at the bottom of the Mitigation Action Charts page. Residents can also call Sherburne County Emergency Management at 763-765-3500. St. Cloud Live reports that Derek Baas, the county's deputy emergency management director, is the contact at that number and at [email protected].

The Elk River Star News reports that the county wants comments, concerns or questions about the draft, along with ideas for mitigation projects. The county's release says all residents and interested agency or organizational stakeholders are encouraged to review and offer feedback.

What the draft plan covers

The document is multi-jurisdictional. It covers the county's cities and townships and includes participating school districts, agencies, organizations and businesses, according to the Elk River Star News. Its purpose, as the county describes it, is to lower long-term danger to residents and property from natural hazards.

Eight cities are participating, KNSI reports: St. Cloud, Baldwin, Becker, Big Lake, Clear Lake, Elk River, Princeton and Zimmerman.

Sherburne County Emergency Management led the update with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth and representatives from county departments, city and township governments and other stakeholders, the Elk River Star News reports. The draft plan lists Derek Baas as deputy emergency management director and names U-Spatial, part of the university's Research and Innovation Office in Duluth, as its preparer.

The county's planning site defines hazard mitigation planning as sustained work to reduce loss of life and property from future disasters, and says the website lets the public see local vulnerabilities and submit comments.

Why the five-year update matters

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires counties nationwide to write and refresh a hazard mitigation plan, and the county's planning site states that a community has to adopt and update one every five years to remain eligible for future mitigation funds. The state's Homeland Security and Emergency Management department hired U-Spatial to refresh the 2020 version, according to the site.

The Elk River Star News reports that an updated plan would allow the county and its jurisdictions to apply for future FEMA hazard-mitigation grants.

Shelter is the draft's central gap

KNSI reports that finding shelter during severe storms is one of the biggest concerns in the draft. Zimmerman has approved two housing developments with up to 80 homes built on concrete slabs. Clear Lake says many of its 60-plus new homes also lack basements. Big Lake reports a larger development without basements and a mobile home park with only a small shelter.

The county also says some mobile home parks and campgrounds have neither a storm shelter nor a tornado safe room, and that paying for construction is a barrier, according to KNSI.

Tornadoes have touched the county before. It has recorded seven since 1996, with no deaths or injuries; the most recent was an EF-1 near Orrock in March 2017, KNSI reports.

St. Cloud, which sits partly in Sherburne County, says it has neither a designated site nor a plan for sheltering residents during extreme heat or cold. The city also says a rising share of residents who do not speak English complicates emergency alert delivery, and that not everyone has enrolled in county notification systems.

Flood and wildfire numbers in the draft

The draft estimates that a major flood — one with a 1% annual chance — would damage 343 buildings and cause about $9.3 million in losses, KNSI reports. Baldwin would have the most damaged buildings at 45, followed by Elk River at 38. The analysis found no schools, hospitals, police stations or fire stations inside that zone.

Wildfire is another concern in the document. The county averages about six wildfires a year, and development keeps pushing into brushy, wooded land; in Zimmerman, 75% of the land fits that description. Sherburne County has no community wildfire protection plan, and developing one would take substantial grant funding, according to KNSI.

The 21 goals for 2027 through 2032

The draft lists 21 county goals for 2027 through 2032. The list includes generators for critical facilities, power lines either buried or reinforced where practical, new storm shelters, and work on roads and culverts that flood, according to KNSI. Most would be paid from current budgets; bigger ones could draw on federal grants.

Local needs named in the plan include a generator for Zimmerman City Hall and Becker's shift away from aging warning sirens.

The Elk River Star News describes the proposed measures more broadly: infrastructure work in repeatedly flooded areas, safe rooms in spots exposed to tornadoes and severe storms, buried power lines, improved emergency warnings, and outreach on severe weather and preparedness. St. Cloud Live adds warning sirens and mass notification systems to the emergency-communication piece.

What the draft ranks highest

KNSI reports that the draft ranks windstorms, tornadoes, flooding, winter storms and hail as the county's top priorities.

Planning for disasters, the county said, "minimizes the impact of events that can cause vast economic loss and personal hardship." The release also lists the hazards it attributes to Minnesota counties generally: tornadoes, windstorms, severe winter storms, flooding, drought and extreme temperatures.

What happens after Nov. 15

The county plans to submit the draft to Minnesota and FEMA for review, the Elk River Star News reports. After the comment period, KNSI reports, the plan goes to the state and FEMA, and each city and the county would then adopt it.

The county's planning site cites a National Institute of Building Sciences estimate that each dollar the nation spends on hazard mitigation saves six dollars in future disaster costs.

Residents who want to read the draft before commenting can reach it at z.umn.edu/SherburneHMP, KNSI reports.

Related: Sherburne County Invites Public Feedback on Hazard Plan

Sources referenced