CONVENT — St. James Parish Emergency Preparedness is in the process of updating the St. James Parish Hazard Mitigation Plan and is required to hold a public meeting on the plan update.

The public meeting will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday at Council Chambers in the Convent Courthouse.

Residents are asked 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. The short web-based survey can be found atsurveymonkey.com/r/StJamesHMP.

While an important aspect of emergency management deals with disaster recovery, an equally important aspect of emergency management involves hazard mitigation — sustained actions taken to reduce long-term risk to life and property.

They are things that can be done today to be more protected in the future.