A disaster plan for the DeKalb area is in the process of being approved by the City of DeKalb and DeKalb County.

Working on the disaster plan alongside the City of DeKalb and DeKalb County are smaller towns such as Sycamore and Malta, as well as NIU and other surrounding school districts.

DeKalb County leadership has included many possible hazards in the plan that could possibly occur in Northern Illinois, including such emergency events as detours and evacuations in case of flooding or fires, seasonal weather disasters and trainwrecks.

DeKalb City Engineer Joel Maurer said as of now, the plan is completely drafted and has the blessing of all city members that worked on it.

“It is a worthwhile endeavor that will serve to provide an awareness to people that officials are taking precautionary steps to protect the community,” Maurer said.

Development for the plan has been going on for about a year.

“DeKalb hired a planning consultant that conducted forums to draft plans in a model fashion that can be widely accepted,” Maurer said.

In order for the plan to be adopted and put into effect, it will be presented at a hearing and the contents may be reviewed in a public forum sometime in late November.

According to Maurer, much of the plan is federally funded. Only about 25 percent of the money that will be used to put the plan into effect will be provided by DeKalb County.

An additional item that DeKalb County has recommended for the plan is to alter the county’s Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) from a part-time service to a full-time service for the area.

According to the ESDA, the purpose of the agency is to plan for potential hazards, and to respond to and aid in recovery from all natural or man-made disaster situations. The ESDA has worked with DeKalb’s Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) to come up with various plans such as a Comprehensive Emergency Response Plan (CERP) that similarly works to help prepare communities in case of local emergencies and disasters.